An urgent call out for ‘Walk In Donors’ in Port Moresby to donate blood at the Port Moresby General Hospital’s Blood Transfusion Services Unit has been made immediately to help a young male who was involved in a bad road accident and is currently in need of blood.
The young lad has a special blood type which is called the ‘Gerbich Negative’ and this blood type is one of the rarest on earth and is found only in Melanesians.
A call has been made to the general public residing here in Port Moresby preferably people from the Momase region, Milne Bay and Northern Province to go to the Port Moresby General Hospital’s Blood Bank Unit as soon as possible to help donate blood.
According to Nurse Unit Manager at the Sir Brian Bell Centre for Transfusion, Damaris Penias, in Papua New Guinea, this blood type is only found in people from the Momase Region, Milne Bay and the Northern Province.
“People with this rare blood type are identified to be from the areas mentioned as well as those people living along that coast”, said Nurse Penias.
The Gerbich Negative Blood type is the rarest of the rarest because a very limited percentage (about 15%) of people will match this blood type.
Nurse Penias said majority of people are Gerbich Positive whilst only 15% of people are Gerbich Negative.
Family members of the young man have gone in to donate blood but unfortunately have not matched this blood type.
He is currently at the Intensive Care Unit in critical condition.