Phuket Immigration Chief Col Thanet has expressed his gratitude towards the local expat community after their big turnout to donate blood at the Central Festival shopping centre last week.
The blood donation drive aimed to boost the dwindling reserves of Rh-negative type blood and saw 139 foreigners in attendance.
People of Asian descent have the lowest percentage of Rh-negative blood types so it’s not a common blood type in Asia. So hospitals and medical facilities will not usually keep a large stock of Rh-negative blood and are often in urgent need of stocks.
In total, 90 donors donated blood, altogether donating some 80 units of blood, in accordance with the conditions required by the Phuket Red Cross – some of the people attending were not eligible for the donation but Col Thanet expressed his appreciation for everyone making the effort to attend.
He thanked the consulates, business operators, private schools and volunteers at the Immigration Office for their help in facilitating the blood donation drive. The majority of the donors were foreigners living on the island, including language school students, Muay Thai school students and volunteers helping at the island’s immigration offices.
The blood donations will be of significant importance as the island expects more foreigners and Thais to arrive, especially during the upcoming Songkran break which starts building up during next week through to April 17 when many people will head back to work.
The immigration office estimates that around 10,000 foreigners are expected to travel to Phuket each day during the festival, with many more expected to stay for a longer duration. Air fares and accommodation prices also spike during this period.
