Janice Cheong, a third-year psychology undergraduate from the National University of Singapore, is one of the many Singaporeans who are afraid to donate blood due to the fear of needles.

“Most people say they are afraid of needles and pain,” said Shirley Ng, donor manager from the Red Cross Blood Donor Recruitment Programme.

Ng was speaking to The Observer during a three-day mobile blood drive held Oct. 3 at the NUS Sports and Recreational Centre.

The event was organized by the NUS Red Cross Chapter in conjunction with the Singapore Red Cross and Red Cross Blood Donor Recruitment Programme to collect blood for local hospitals. 

“Some people are scared because they see that the needles are much thicker, but the needle is thick because it needs to be able to draw out the red blood cells,” said Ng..

Another commonly cited reason for not donating blood is the fear of pain, she said. 

“There is a misconception that the process of donating blood hurts, but the only pain that you will feel is that from an anesthetic injection. 

“If you can withstand the pain you get from piercing your ears, then you will definitely have no problems with our needles,” Ng said. 

According to a survey conducted in Singapore by ACNielsen in January 2005, the fear of pain and needles are two key barriers to blood donation. Of the 172 non-blood donors surveyed, 14 percent said they do not donate blood because they are afraid of the pain, and 13 percent said they are scared of needles. 

In addition, more than a quarter of respondents could not come up with a reason to explain why they did not want to donate blood. 

Ng said people are not motivated to donate blood unless they have a reason to do so. 

“When we ask non-donors why they do not donate blood, most of the time they would counter us with this question: ‘Why should I?’ 

“1 unit of blood can save up to three lives and we urge people to come forward to give the gift of life,” she said. 

Ng said she has rejected suggestions to introduce monetary incentives to attract more blood donors as the Red Cross Blood Donor Recruitment Programme is “advocating voluntary” blood donations. 

“Voluntary donation equals safe blood,” she said.

According to Ng, efforts are ongoing to encourage more people to donate blood, and the Red Cross Blood Donor Recruitment Programme is doing more than just organizing mobile blood drives to reach out to the people. 

For instance, talks are conducted at schools, tertiary institutions, and community organizations. The programme also liaises with companies and organizations to encourage their staff to donate blood. 

In addition, a new website called DonorWeb, set up by a group of volunteers in 2001, provides up-to-date information on when and where the next blood mobile drive will be held, and the latest activities of the Blood Donor Recruitment Programme. 

Ng added that special attention has been placed on youths, with the establishment of the Youth Donor Club. 

The Youth Donor Club was launched in March 2006 as a platform to teach youths about blood donation and to encourage them to adopt blood donation as a positive lifestyle. 

“This group of people (ages 16–25) represents the next generation of people, and they are going to replace the current donors when they retire.

“It is important to start educating them on the importance of blood donation from young to avoid the problem of shortage in the future,” she said. 

Ng said schools are invited to bring their students down to the Blood Bank at the Health Sciences Authority to see the blood donation process and to participate in talks on the importance of being a blood donor. 

Daniel Soh, vice president of the NUS Red Cross Chapter, said regular blood donors constitute only 1 percent of the total population, which is not enough for the local hospitals’ usage. 

According to statistics shown on the Health Sciences Authority’s website, about 350 units of blood are required daily by hospitals in Singapore for patients requiring blood transfusions. However, only about 250 units are collected each day. 

Donors can give only one unit of blood during each donation, and at current rate, the mobile blood drives can only collect up to 100 units of blood per day, according to Ng. 

“Blood is needed for everyday life, and it is particularly important for patients suffering from anemia and leukemia,” said Soh. “Blood donors are their lifelines.”

Presently, national bloodstocks are running low, especially for types “A” and “O.” The Health Sciences Authority is calling for all fit and healthy people within the age limit (ages 16-60) to come forward to donate blood, said Soh. 

“Every single drop of blood comes with a dash of hope,” he said.