Makassar, S Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - The Makassar branch of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) as per last Thursday had a blood stock of 191 pouches which was enough only for the next two days.

"The blood stock is actually sufficient but the specification needed by the patients is not enough nor available," Makassar PMI spokesman Uky said here on Friday.

Uky said to overcome the blood shortage in Makassar, the PMI had called on the local community and families of patients to donate their blood.

Based on data from Makassar's Indonesian Red Cross, there are 40,000 blood donors in the city but only 3,000 of them are periodically donating blood.

Therefore, local PMI chairman Syamsu Rizal said, the PMI was continuously familiarizing the community with the importance of donating blood as part of people's humanitarian duties.

"One of the efforts to have the people donate their blood is through the testimony of permanent blood donors to the local community," Syamsu Rizal said.

Meanwhile, Nuraeni, the relative of a patient, said she had repeatedly gone to the PMI office in Makassar to obtain blood for her ailing relative but she had failed to get any.

"We failed to get blood k from PMI so we finally donated blood but we had to pay Rp250,000 to the Red Cross," Nuraeni said. (O001)