TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsPMI ramps up efforts to collect blood during Ramadan
A drop in blood supply usually lasts until two weeks after Idul Fitri.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Two weeks into the fasting month, some regions have reported a marked decrease in blood donations. (Shutterstock/File)
T
he Indonesian Red cross (PMI) has ramped up efforts to collect blood in the face of decreasing donations during Ramadan, when Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from dusk to dawn and many postpone donating blood.
Two weeks into the fasting month, which lasts from May 6 to June 6, some regions have reported a marked decrease in blood donations.
The decline is common during the holy month, as it is widely perceived that donating blood invalidates a person's fast and weakens the body.
During last year's Ramadan, the PMI's blood donor unit recorded an up to 40 percent decrease in blood donations.
The condition usually lasts until two weeks after Idul Fitri, as many donors spend the holiday in their hometowns, the PMI said.
PMI Jakarta has recorded an up to 80 percent decrease in blood donations --with about 200 bags obtained daily during Ramadan, a significant drop from the 1,000 bags per day in regular months, explained blood procurement unit head Endang Pratiwi.
"Demand remains the same as in regular months. We began increasing our supply before Ramadan, but it's thinning out," Endang told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
