Indonesian blood in short supply

Erwida Maulia , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Tue, 05/13/2008 10:39 AM | National

Indonesia is facing a blood supply shortage, with insufficient numbers of donors and blood transfusion units in many regions.

The country needs about 3.8 million units of blood annually, according to the Indonesian Blood Donors Association (PDDI). However, stocks typically stand at only around 1.5 million units per year.

The shortage was revealed in a hearing at the Regional Representatives Council (DPD)'s office Monday. Representatives from the Health Ministry, the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) and the PDDI attended the session.

"The number of blood donors is very limited, especially in regions outside Java. Those regions mostly get blood from substitute donors (those who donate their blood for money) instead of from volunteers," Health Ministry director for basic medical care Ratna Rosita Hendardji said.

She said volunteers donated 80 percent of the country's 1.5 million blood units. But in regions such as Medan, in North Sumatra, "only 20 percent of the blood is donated by volunteers".

The shortage of blood donors is exacerbated by the shortage of blood transfusion units.

Blood transfusion units are responsible for donor recruitment, taking blood, and processing, storage and distribution.

Ratna said only 231 of the country's 457 regencies and municipalities had blood transfusion units, most run by the PMI.

Most hospitals across the country do not have blood banks, which should have the responsibility for managing donated blood in hospitals, she said.

Furthermore, the existing blood transfusion units are understaffed, PMI head of the central blood transfusion unit Yuyun Soedarmono said.

She said ideally each standard blood transfusion unit would have at least 13 blood technicians. Each unit currently has four blood technicians.

Yuyun also said the PMI was likely to face difficulties continuing its work because of Health Ministry plans to cease funding for the organization this year.

"We still receive subsidies for HIV/AIDS, syphilis and hepatitis C and hepatitis B reagents from the 2007 state budget. This year, it is still unclear whether we'll be given the subsidies," she said.

The reagents are needed to screen blood donations to ensure they do not carry any of the four diseases.

According to the PMI report, 2.5 percent of blood donations in 2006 were infected by one of the diseases. Hepatitis B contamination was the most frequent.

Ratna confirmed the government would not finance PMI operations in 2008 because the government was planning to establish blood transfusion units in 144 regencies and municipalities.

In 2006, the PMI received Rp 2 billion (US$217,400) in funding for operations.

The Health Ministry provides a subsidy of Rp 120,000 for each blood unit. The total service cost of each unit reaches Rp 252,000 after processing, infection screening, storage and distribution.

High-income patients pay the gap, but those on lower incomes receive government support through programs such as the health insurance scheme for the poor (Askeskin).

The government has not paid its Askeskin bill in the past six months, the PMI said.

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