Macau’s Rotary Clubs have joined forces in an effort to promote public awareness of donating blood.
The eight clubs hosted a joint press conference about next month’s Rotary Blood Donation Event at Edifício Montepio in Avenida Dr. Mário Soares.
The upcoming month-long event vows to promote public awareness of, and the need for blood donations to ensure that a “sufficient” supply of blood is always available in Macau, according to a joint-statement by Macau Rotary Clubs (RCs).
The event, which starts next Tuesday, is co-hosted by eight local RCs and the Macau Blood Transfusion Service (MBTS) of the Health Bureau (SSM), according to a statement read out during the press conference.
The statement underlined that local RCs have been hosting similar events for the past 20 years.
The Macau Rotary Clubs organisation comprises eight clubs: Rotary Club of Amizade, Macau, Hou Kuong, Macau Central, Macau Islands, Guia, Penha Macau, Oriental Pearl Macau.
Rotary Club of Amizade President Hannah Leong Wan Ieng said during the press conference that 14,099 people registered for blood donations last year, when 17,664 units of blood were collected. Compared to 2019, there was an increase of 5.31 percent in the number of blood donors and an increase of 6.78 percent in the number of collected units of blood, Leong noted.
Customarily, a blood donation unit consists of 500 millilitres.
According to the press conference, “only” 2.52 percent of the local eligible donors, aged 17 to 70 years old, donated blood last year. Moreover, the press conference pointed out, the local need for blood is escalating because there are patients who previously received treatment in Hong Kong or the mainland but now cannot leave Macau due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
The statement pointed out that the event aims to increase the number of blood donors. Thus, the RCs hosted a Blood Donation Centre Visit and Seminar on Sunday which aimed to enhance participants’ understanding of blood, the history of blood donations and how giving blood affects a donor’s health, the press conference underlined.
Macau’s eight Rotary Clubs presidents pose during yesterday’s Rotary Blood Donation Event press conference yesterday at Edifício Montepio in Avenida Dr. Mário Soares. Photo: Ula Cheang
