September blood-donation drives scheduled across Phuket

The Phuket Regional Blood Centre (PRBC) and the Blood Bank at Vachira Phuket Hospital will hold 28 mobile blood-donation drives in Phuket during September, with additional PRBC clinics scheduled in Phang Nga and Krabi.

The PRBC has highlighted an ongoing shortage of Rh-negative blood and said demand remains high because of tourist-related accidents and other medical emergencies. People who meet the donation requirements are encouraged to give blood at one of the mobile clinics or at the Phuket Regional Blood Centre.

Phuket Regional Blood Centre schedule

The PRBC will hold clinics at Robinson Lifestyle Chalong on 5 September from 11am to 3pm; Phuket Grocery in Phuket Town and Lotus’s Shopping Centre, Thalang branch, on 7 September from noon to 6pm; Premium Outlet Phuket on 8 September from 11am to 3pm; and The Kee Resort & Spa in Patong on 8 September from 1pm to 4pm.

Further Phuket clinics are scheduled at Lotus’s Shopping Centre, Thalang branch, and Central Phuket Floresta on 10 September, both from noon to 6pm; SAii Laguna Phuket in Bang Tao on 16 September from 10am to 3pm; the Honorary Consulate of Mexico to Phuket at The Plaza Surin Building in Cherng Talay on 18 September from 9am to 3pm; Phuket FantaSea on 22 September from 10am to 3:30pm; and Prince of Songkla University, Phuket Campus, on 24 September from 9am to noon.

A three-day PRBC clinic will be held at Phuket Rajabhat University from 25 to 27 September, each day from 9am to 3pm. The centre will also return to Lotus’s Shopping Centre, Thalang branch, on 29 September from noon to 6pm and hold a clinic at Bangkok Hospital Phuket the same day from 1pm to 5pm.

Vachira Blood Bank schedule

The Vachira Blood Bank will hold clinics at Dohome, Thalang, on 7 September from 10am to 3pm; Phuket Graceland Resort and Spa, Patong, on 9 September from 10am to 3pm; Thai Watsadu, Chalong branch, on 14 September from 10am to 6pm; Twinpalms Resort, Surin Beach, on 15 September from 10am to 3pm; and Holiday Inn Resort Phuket, Patong, on 16 September from 10am to 3pm.

The remaining Vachira clinics are scheduled at the PEA Patong branch on 17 September from 10am to 3pm; Rosewood Phuket Hotel in Patong on 18 September from 10am to 3pm; SuperCheap, Ratsada branch, on 21 September from 10am to 4pm; The Society in Cherng Talay on 22 September from 10am to 3pm; Splash Beach Resort in Mai Khao on 23 September from 10am to 3pm; The Racha Hotel in Rawai on 29 September from 8:30am to 2pm; and Phuket Boat Lagoon on 30 September from 10am to 3pm.

Clinics in Phang Nga and Krabi

The PRBC schedule includes a clinic at Thap Put District Office in Phang Nga on 9 September from 1pm to 4pm; Khao Phanom District Office in Krabi on 11 September from 9:30am to 1pm; Takua Pa Senanukul School in Phang Nga on 14 September from 9am to noon; Lam Thap District Office in Krabi on 15 September from 9:30am to 1pm; and Ao Nang Villa Resort in Krabi on 17 September from 9:30am to 1pm.

Further clinics are planned at Honda Thai Mueang in Phang Nga on 21 September from 9am to noon; Takua Thung District Office on 23 September from 1pm to 4pm; and Khok Kloy Farmers Association Office in Takua Thung on 30 September from 9am to noon.

Donation guidance

The donation guidance says first-time donors in Thailand should be under 60, while 70 is the upper age limit. Donors should be in good health, sleep sufficiently the night before, avoid alcohol for 24 hours beforehand and eat a healthy, low-fat meal at least three hours before donating. People taking antibiotics should not donate, and donors are advised to drink plenty of water before arriving.

Donors should bring an identity card each time, complete the registration form and undergo a health check covering blood pressure and haemoglobin levels, followed by a short consultation with a doctor. The donation itself takes less than seven minutes. Donors should then have a snack, rest for a few minutes and drink three to four glasses of water.

Blood can also be donated directly at the Phuket Regional Blood Centre at 38/193 Rattanakosin 200 Pi Rd in Talad Neua, Phuket Town. It is open from 8:30am to 4:30pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; from 8:30am to 7:30pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays; and from 9am to 3:30pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

The PRBC can be contacted on 076-251178 or 081-9588854. The Vachira Blood Bank is on the fourth floor of the outpatient building at Vachira Phuket Hospital on Yaowarat Rd in Phuket Town and is listed as always open. It can be reached on 076-361234, extension 1287.