Princess gives blood on Tonga's World Blood Donor Day [1]
Friday, June 15, 2007 - 16:36. Updated on Monday, September 9, 2013 - 19:45.
HRH Princess Latufuipeka Tuku'aho was one of the first blood donors in Nuku'alofa today, June 14, to mark the World Blood Donor Day.
Uini Fukofuka the Blood Coordinator from the Blood Bank said that in previous years, the World Blood Day was only marked with prayer services, "this is the first time we have actually called on the people to donate".
She said that patients in the hospital require about 10 to 15 packets of blood a day, they are calling on people to voluntarily donate their blood to help the sickly, "it is a very important mission and we will continue to do so in the years to come, said Uini.
Blood donated in the morning was rushed off to the hospital for two leukaemia patients and a mother who gave birth to triplets who were in need of blood, she added.
The blood bank receives blood in two ways, from voluntary donors or the family replacement donors. When a patient is critically in need of blood at the hospital, the bank provides it and then the patient's family members may later donate their blood to replace it.
A mobile Blood Bank, was set up in central Nuku'alofa for the promotion of World Blood Donor Day.