Malang (malangkota.go.id) – Malang Mayor Drs. H. Sutiaji expressed his appreciation and gratitude to members of the Indonesian Blood Donor Association (PDDI) and the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) of Malang City who held a 'Mass Screening of Convalescent Plasma' at the gazebo of Malang City Hall, Saturday (14/8/2021). According to him, convalescent plasma is currently in great demand by residents in almost all districts/cities, including Malang City.
To get convalescent plasma, he said, it is not easy because prospective donors must go through a number of examinations and meet several requirements. Such as physical health, not receiving blood transfusions for at least the last three months and 14 days before taking the screening not experiencing illness.
Those were some of the things conveyed by the number one person in the Malang City Government after reviewing the event and becoming one of the prospective convalescent plasma donors. From the screening that was attended by 90 people some time ago, he explained, only about 29 people met the requirements to become convalescent donors. This is where one of the levels of difficulty in obtaining convalescent plasma lies.
Mayor Sutiaji added that some time ago he received many personal messages via his cellphone that many Malang City residents asked for help in finding and needing convalescent plasma. In fact, not a few Malang City residents even searched for convalescent plasma in other cities such as Surabaya and Sidoarjo.
"Therefore, as the Head of PDDI Malang City and as the mayor, I invite residents who have been exposed to Covid-19 to take part in the screening. If the number of potential donors is large, then it is likely that those who meet the requirements will also be more," said the bespectacled man.
A drop of blood that is released for donation, Sutiaji explained, will greatly help people in need and can even save someone's life. "The requirements for regular blood donation are indeed different from plasma donation in terms of requirements and processes. However, with togetherness and mutual care, I am optimistic that there will be many potential convalescent plasma donors," he said.
Webi Ayung, one of the screening participants, admitted that she was moved to become a donor even though she had never donated blood before. This woman in a hijab felt called to help and ease the burden of residents exposed to Covid-19.
"At least I have felt what it's like to be exposed to Covid-19, so I decided to become a donor," he said. (say/ram)
