The government has made another urgent appeal to the public to donate blood ASAP as their supplies are running very low – at less than 50 percent of its normal level.
A spokesman for the Hong Kong Red Cross blamed the recent low number of blood donations on the fact that people are away for the holidays, and that the cold has increased both the number of sick people who need transfusions and the number of ill who would have otherwise donated blood.
They said that the the occupancy rates at public hospitals’ medical wards have recently exceeded 100 percent, with some reaching almost 130 percent.
If less than 1,100 donors come forth every day for the next week, the Red Cross will be unable to keep up with demand for blood transfusions. Yikes!
So if you can spare some time and blood (just think of all the calories you’ll burn replacing those lost hemoglobins!), all you need to do is bring your HKID card to one of the donor centres. (Addresses and information here).
To check if you’re eligible to give blood, take this handy online quiz here with more information on eligibility available here.
(FYI, if you have lived in the UK for more than three months between 1980 and 1996 you are not eligible.)
Photo: LG_Ukraine via Flickr
