# Blood Donation in Malaysia: The National Blood Centre and How to Donate

> A concise guide to the National Blood Centre (PDN), eligibility requirements for donating blood, how often you can donate, and the treatment privileges granted to donors in Malaysia.

- Category: healthcare
- Language: en
- Status: published
- Updated: 2026-08-01
- Canonical: https://negaraku.md/en/healthcare/blood-donation-and-national-blood-centre

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According to PDN, a single blood donation can save at least three lives — because whole blood is processed into red blood cells, platelets and plasma for different patients.

## What is the National Blood Centre?

The National Blood Centre (Pusat Darah Negara, PDN) is located at Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur, and operates under the Ministry of Health Malaysia (KKM). It provides an adequate and safe blood supply and acts as the referral centre in the field of Transfusion Medicine. The KKM's Blood Bank Information System (BBIS v2) covers 22 main blood collection sites nationwide, in addition to hospital blood banks and mobile blood donation campaigns.

## Are you eligible to donate blood?

According to PDN's official guidelines, you are eligible to donate blood if you meet the following requirements:

| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Health | Physically healthy, no health problems |
| Age (first-time) | 17-60 years |
| Age (repeat donor) | 17-65 years |
| Body weight | 45kg or more |
| Sleep | Minimum 5 hours |
| Food | Have eaten before donating |
| Donation interval | Last donation at least 3 months ago |

Donors aged 17 must obtain written consent from a parent or guardian, while those aged 60 and above must submit a Health Report. Female donors, meanwhile, cannot donate if they are pregnant, menstruating, or breastfeeding.

You are asked **not** to donate blood if you are involved in high-risk activities such as same-sex or bisexual intercourse, relations with commercial sex workers, having multiple sexual partners, or injecting drugs. In addition, you are also ineligible if you lived in the United Kingdom between 1980 and 1996 for 6 months (cumulative) or more, or lived in any European country from 1980 to the present for 5 years (cumulative) or more — both on account of vCJD risk.

## How often can you donate and how much is taken?

Each whole blood donation takes about 450ml, according to PDN. Because red blood cells need 4-8 weeks to be replaced, the minimum interval between whole blood donations is 3 months. Donated blood is tested to determine the blood group and to detect infections such as syphilis, hepatitis B and C, and HIV before it is used.

## What are the donor privileges?

KKM grants free medical treatment privileges at government hospitals according to the total number of lifetime donations. Among them:

| Number of donations | Privilege |
|---|---|
| 1-5 times | Outpatient treatment (including dental) and free second-class ward care for 4 months |
| 2 times (within 12 months) | Free Hepatitis B preventive injection |
| 21-30 times | Outpatient treatment and free second-class ward care for 3 years |
| 51-75 times | Free first-class ward care for 10 years, then second-class ward for life |
| More than 100 times | Free first-class ward care for 20 years, then second-class ward for life |

## How to donate

Bring the **original documents** of your personal identification — Identity Card, driving licence, employee card or student card (with photo and IC number) for citizens; copies are not accepted. Repeat donors may bring the Blood Donor Book (PDN 2). You must also be able to read and understand the registration form in Malay or English without a translator. Donations can be made directly at PDN, at a hospital blood bank, or through mobile blood donation campaigns organised from time to time.

## What's next

Review the eligibility requirements again and make sure you have had enough sleep and have eaten before attending. For the latest information, operating hours and mobile campaign locations, visit the official National Blood Centre portal at pdn.gov.my or contact PDN at 03-2613 2688.

## Sources

- Kelayakan Menderma Darah (Garis Panduan PDN.RP/WI-01/G01) — https://pdn.gov.my/v2/images/dokumen/KELAYAKAN-MENDERMA-DARAH.pdf (Pusat Darah Negara, Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia)
- Keistimewaan Penderma — https://pdn.gov.my/v2/keistimewaan-penderma/ (Pusat Darah Negara, Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia)
- FAQs Umum Pendermaan Darah — https://pdn.gov.my/v2/index.php/maklumat-korporat/perutusan-pengarah/item/101-faqs-umum (Pusat Darah Negara, Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia)
- Portal Utama Pusat Darah Negara — https://pdn.gov.my/v2/ (Pusat Darah Negara, Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia)
- Blood Donation Dashboard (KKMNOW) — https://data.moh.gov.my/dashboard/blood-donation (Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia)

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