Foreigners called to donate blood

Blood donations will be received on the 2nd floor of the ‘Mini Convention Hall’ at Central Phuket Floresta from 11am – 4pm.

Phuket is currently in short supply of Rh negative blood stocks due to the increasing number of foreigners suffering injuries in road accidents, Phuket Immigration explained in its announcement.

Some of the foreigners required being admitted to hospitals due to the seriousness of their injuries, adding to the drain on Rh negative blood, the announcement noted.

At a previous mass donation blood drive held in April, Phuket RBC noted that Rh-negative blood is not common among Asians, but critically needed for providing help to foreigners, including those injured in road accidents. 

Despite the ongoing efforts, Rh-Negative blood reserves in Thailand remain alarmingly low, as only 0.3% of the Thai population have this blood type, compared to around 15% of westerners, according to academics.