KUCHING: A rare unit of Rh17 blood, donated by a Sarawakian, is being urgently flown to Kuala Lumpur to save the life of a woman suffering from an ectopic pregnancy.
According to Blood Bank Hospital Umum Sarawak official Facebook page, the donor, Vencent Voon Sin Thung, recently stepped forward to give blood after it was discovered that the patient, who requires immediate surgery, shares the extremely rare Rh17 blood type.
“Rh17 is a blood type that is rarely found among the general Malaysian population, but a small portion of the Bidayuh ethnic group in Sarawak has this blood type,” the blood bank said today.
It added that individuals with rare blood types can only receive blood from donors with the exact same blood group.
“If they receive blood from a different group, it could trigger an acute transfusion reaction that may endanger the patient’s life.
“Let us pray for the patient’s safety and speedy recovery.
“On behalf of the patient, we thank our hero, Vencent Voon Sin Thung,” it said.
