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SINGAPORE: The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) appealed for more blood donors on Monday (Dec 22), amid a seasonal drop in collection.<\/p>\n
The year-end typically sees a drop in blood collection of up to 20 per cent, HSA said in a press release.<\/p>\n
Early last year,\u00a0Group O blood stocks in Singapore dropped to critical levels as the country’s stockpile stood at less than six days’ worth of blood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maintaining a minimum nine-day blood stockpile is essential for Singapore\u2019s emergency preparedness, said HSA on Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdditionally, donors who travel to countries or regions with insect-borne diseases may be ineligible to donate for up to four months after their return, potentially affecting blood supplies in the coming months,\u201d said the authority.<\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore, it is critical that eligible donors come forward during this period to bolster the supplies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung warned that Singapore may run the risk of having low stocks of particular blood types during the year-end period.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe sometimes forget the ineligibility period after travel,\u201d he said in a Facebook post on Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am also at fault. I went to South Africa to attend G20 meetings in November, and cannot donate blood until March next year.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n