Motorcycle Taxi Driver Staunchly Commits to Giving Blood
The desire to give and share has remained high, even though the Covid-19 pandemic has overcast the start of 2021.
By
Wilibrordus Megandika
·5 minutes read
The desire to give and share has remained high, even though the Covid-19 pandemic has overcast the start of 2021. Some don’t just share money, but also share a part of themselves by donating blood, hoping that their blood will save others, whatever the recipient’s creed or faith.
Martin, 43, an ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver for on-demand transportation service Gojek, visited the subdistrict office of Purwokerto Wetan in Purwokerto Timur district, Banyumas, Central Java, at around 10:40 a.m. on Sunday (3/1/2021) with his daughter, who is still in elementary school. Martin wanted to participate in the blood drive at the subdistrict office held by the Banyumas regency branch of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI).
After washing his hands, Martin registered and underwent the required health checks, including his body temperature, blood pressure, and his hemoglobin (Hb) level. After he was declared healthy, the father of four headed straight to the couch, lay down, and stretched out his arm to have his blood drawn.
“In the past, when my father needed blood during an operation in 1995, it was very difficult to find blood donors. From that moment, I decided to donate blood regularly to help others," said Martin.
His father had diarrhea, but a later examination discovered that he had a gastrointestinal inflammation that required surgery, and the procedure required a large blood transfusion. Martin’s experience of seeing how difficult it was to find blood donors raised his awareness and prompted his desire to share his blood.
"I want to help others. No one should have trouble finding blood just because they can\'t afford it,” said Martin, who donates blood every 2 to 3 months.
The Covid-19 health crisis has not hindered Martin’s capacity for sharing. He did not hesitate to donate his blood, and the PMI Banyumas workers and he were being as careful as possible in following the health protocols to avoid potential Covid-19 infection.
Martin finished giving his blood at around 11:03 a.m. Over a mere 28 minutes, Martin experienced the extraordinary joy of donating his blood to help others.
Ina Kristanti, 41 and her husband, Sugeng Waluyo, 51, also experienced a similar joy in donating their blood. "Basically, we want to give to people who need blood, and we happen to be able to do so," said Sugeng, who works as a trader.
Apart from helping others, Sugeng said he felt better and healthier every time he gave blood. He felt happy after donating blood, while he felt saddened if he couldn’t give blood.
"Before, we failed [to give blood] several times or were unable to donate blood because of our low Hb. It turned out that I must eat nutritious foods and be healthy before donating," he said.
Widyatmoko, a nurse with PMI Banyumas, said people who want to give blood must have normal blood pressure and an Hb level between 12.5 and 17.0. In addition, they must be physically healthy, have adequate sleep, and must not be taking any medication.
Falling number of donors
Field coordinator Devin Eko Santosa of the PMI Banyumas Mobile Unit said that, as a result of the Covid-19 health emergency, the number of blood donors at a single PMI mobile unit had fallen to about 50 percent of the usual 40 to 50 people who came to donate blood. PMI Banyumas’ blood drive helps support 8 to 10 hospitals in the regency, which need between 200 and 300 bags of blood every day.
In addition to the regular blood drives the humanitarian organization holds in public places like shopping centers, places of worship and government offices, the PMI also runs an information campaign on social media to urge people to donate their blood. People who have recovered from Covid-19 can also donate convalescent plasma to help patients who are being treated for Covid-19.
The blood drive organized by Purwokerto Wetan subdistrict in cooperation with PMI Banyumas and the Santo Yosep Purwokerto Parish had drawn enough blood to fill 34 bags by 11:10 a.m. However, 16 people were unable to give blood because they did not fulfill the requirements for donors.
Purwokerto Wetan subdistrict head Sugeng Wahyu Jatmiko said that blood drives were one means to encourage tolerance among adherents of different faiths while also helping humanity.
"We know that the blood supply is currently running low," he said.
Former Indonesian vice president and PMI chairman Jusuf Kalla, speaking on Thursday (17/9/2020) to mark the organization’s 75th anniversary, said it needed at least 5 million bags of blood to meet the annual nationwide demand. The Covid-19 pandemic had reduced the PMI’s supply of donated blood (Kompas, 18/9/2020).
Even before the health crisis, Indonesia was experiencing a blood supply shortage over the last few years. According to data from the Health Ministry, the country’s blood supply in 2016 totaled 4.2 million bags (Kompas, 6/9/2020). The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that a country maintain a blood supply sufficient to cover a minimum 2 percent of the national population per year. By this standard, Indonesia needs at least 5.2 million bags of blood per year.
Donating blood is not a common activity for a majority of Indonesians, as seen in the results of a Kompas poll in August 2020. Nearly 60 percent of all respondents said that they had never donated blood, while 22.3 percent of respondents said they had donated blood when there was a blood drive. Only 12.1 percent of respondents were regular blood donors.
Martin, Ina Kristanti, and Sugeng Waluyo are three among only a handful of people who staunchly give their blood for others. During a time when the PMI’s blood supply is running low during the Covid-19 crisis, their compassion and desire to share keeps alight the flame of hope for others in need.