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PMI ramps up efforts to collect blood during Ramadan
A drop in blood supply usually lasts until two weeks after Idul Fitri.
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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.
