Health ministry mulls giving blood donors priority in next vaccine phase

The Health Ministry is looking into a proposal that those who have donated blood more than 50 times be given priority in the second phase of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.

Health Minister Dr Adham Baba said his ministry will raise the matter with the Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Special Committee.

“It is actually a good proposal and an incentive for blood donors in the country,” he told a media conference after a visit to the National Blood Centre in Kuala Lumpur today.

There were suggestions by blood donors for them to be given priority in the vaccination exercise.

Meanwhile, Adham said 652,671 blood bags were collected nationwide in 2020, a drop of 12.3 percent compared to the previous year, adding that the decline was due to the pandemic.

However, he said blood supplies throughout the country was still sufficient.

He said the ministry was studying the need to commercialise the Blood Bank Management System developed by the National Blood Centre to the private sector and abroad.

Elaborating further, he said the system covered blood donor data and various aspects of blood stock including blood group requirements, donor registration, and blood centre staff.

He also said during Ramadan, the blood centre would continue its operations until nighttime to allow blood processing operations to continue and for blood donors, especially Muslims, to donate blood after breaking fast.

Adham said organisers of blood donation campaigns can continue to hold them during Ramadan as blood stock is expected to drop during this period.

- Bernama

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