THE National Blood Bank Centre at Yangon General Hospital has issued a call for donations to help overcome a shortage of supplies.

“We need more blood from volunteer donors,” said Dr Thida Aung, a pathologist at the blood bank.

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Central National Blood Bank (CNBB) was established under the Ministry of Health receiving the blood from donors for the patients who need blood must get clean and disease free blood readily.

She said there was a need for nearly 24,000 units last year but the blood bank could meet only a third of the demand. A unit of blood is 450 millilitres.

Dr Thida Aung said that the blood bank has a rigorous testing program to ensure that blood from volunteer donors does not present a health risk to those who receive transfusions.

The diseases that could be spread by unsafe blood transfusions included HIV, malaria, hepatitis and syphilis, she said.

Up to 10 per cent of HIV cases throughout the world were due to transfusions involving tainted blood.

Dr Thida Aung said a survey launched by the blood bank last June had been valuable in helping to ensure that donated blood was free of disease.

The survey, which involved self-assessment questions for pre-donation counselling, found that many potential donors lacked awareness about behaviour that could make their blood unsafe for transfusions.

Dr Thida Aung said volunteer donors were careful to ensure their blood remained safe, partly because of the satisfaction they gained from helping to save the lives of others. The blood bank has more than 13,000 voluntary donors.