Five years and going strong, MBO Cinemas and St John
Ambulance of Malaysia (SJAM) returns with their annual blood donation drive.
This campaign which is supported by the National Blood Bank and the Ministry of
Health will be held at MBO Cinemas outlets nationwide.
The theme for
this year’s campaign – Blood Connects Us All - stresses on the importance of
how Malaysians with different blood groups can be united through this single
act of selflessness. This drive also aims to inspire Malaysians that share the
same goal to help top up the depleting blood supply at the National Blood Bank,
which usually tends to drop drastically before festive seasons and school
holidays.
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| Photo credit to MBO Cinemas. |
Over the past
four years, MBO’s Blood Donation Campaign has successfully collected close to
17,000 pints of blood and once again counts on its Malaysian customers and fans
to come together as a community and contribute to the cause.
“Despite
ongoing efforts to raise awareness for the need for more blood donations and
drives around the country, the National Blood Bank is struggling to keep up
demands and is facing a shortage nationwide.” said MBO’s General Manager of
Marketing and Sales, Ms Jamie Tiong.
“On that note,
we are calling all Malaysians and Internationals to help us fill the blood
banks for this year’s blood donation drive. Through their help and support, we
are hoping to achieve the collection of 6,000 pints of blood at 25 MBO outlets
nationwide.”, added Ms Jamie Tiong.
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| Photo credit to MBO Cinemas. |
According to
Dr Noryati Abu Amin, Director at the National Blood, the demand for blood has
drastically increased over the years because of three main factors, namely the
rise in the number of patients, the increase in the development of medical
technology and the increase in the availability of speciality hospitals in Malaysia.
Blood banks
need a constant supply of donations, as red blood cells can only last a maximum
of 42 days, while platelets can only be kept for five to seven days. Plasma can
be frozen and if kept in the right conditions, can keep well for years. The short
lifespan of some components is the reason why the blood bank is constantly in
need of supply. Also, despite a 25 percent of the population having blood type
A, it often runs short in the blood bank.
“Thanks to
organisations like MBO Cinemas for their continuous commitment to organise an
annual blood donation drive, 82,619 new donors have joined the cause nationwide
as compared to 76,213 new donors recorded in 2016. This is a positive sign as
the patients’ needs are being met under the Ministry of Health”, added Dr
Noryati Abu Amin.
An important
message the campaign also tries to highlight is the importance of giving blood
regularly so that the blood stock can be kept at sufficient levels before an
emergency arises. Only 2.2% out of 30 million Malaysians donate blood – which
is a far cry from the 3.5% – 5% recorded in more developed countries. On
average, government and private hospitals in Malaysia need to prepare around
2,000 bags of blood to support the needs of 1,000 patients per day.
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| Photo credit to St. John Ambulance Malaysia (SJAM) |
“We are glad
to co-organise this event with MBO Cinemas for the fifth year now. Over the
years, we have seen many new faces and continue to receive support from the
regular donors who never fail to come forward. We have faith that this annual
collaboration will continue for years to come,” said Dato' Lai See Ming,
Commander-in-Chief at St. John Ambulance of Malaysia.
In conjunction
with St John Ambulance’s 110th Anniversary in Malaysia, a free CPR training and
demonstration exercise will be conducted in tandem with the blood donation
drive to celebrate their formation in Malaysia which stretches back over a
century. “Through this CPR training and demonstration exercise, we can educate
members of the community on the proper way to perform CPR, so that they are
capable of providing help and potentially saving the life of a person in need
of CPR, especially of a loved one.”, added Dato' Lai See Ming.
As a sign of
gratitude to the donors, MBO will provide each donor with an exclusive goodie
bag which includes MBO movie vouchers, snacks and a variety of vouchers from
the generous sponsors of this year’s blood donation drive.
The nationwide
blood donation drive will be held on the 18th & 19th of August, from 11am –
6pm with the exception of Kedah and Johor where the dates will be the 17th
& 18th of August from 11am – 6pm.
Blood Connects
Us All.
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