Meet Ipda Subhan, the Officer Behind Sekadau's Blood Warriors Community

Ipda Subhan Syah Khan has been working to help patients requiring blood transfusions in Sekadau, West Kalimantan, through the Komunitas Pejuang Darah (Blood Warriors Community). He has been encouraging local residents to become blood donors.

For his efforts, Ipda Subhan has been nominated by several Sekadau residents for the Hoegeng Awards 2026. One resident, Deni Tri Saputra, said the blood donation activities initiated by Ipda Subhan have been tremendously helpful to those in need.

“The blood donation programme has been a great help to Sekadau residents. It’s not just people from Sekadau — recently people came from Sintang looking for blood, and from Melawi too. People from outside the district also come here seeking blood,” Deni said on Wednesday (11 February 2026).

Deni first met Ipda Subhan when the officer was serving as a Bhabinkamtibmas (community policing officer) in Sungai Ringin and Selalong villages, Sekadau District. He regards Subhan as someone who genuinely cares about the surrounding community. Deni himself joined the Blood Warriors Community four years ago.

“I was invited to the Sekadau Police Station for a National Police anniversary event about four years ago. I tried donating blood there, and afterwards Pak Subhan noticed me and added me to the group,” he said.

Deni noted that before the community existed, residents struggled to find blood supplies. Now those needing blood donors can contact the Blood Warriors Community directly.

“It used to be really difficult. A friend of mine with blood type B+ had to travel all the way to Pontianak. With this community, it’s much easier to find blood,” he said.

Concern for Patients Needing Blood

Asyer, one of the administrators of the Blood Warriors Community in Sekadau, described Ipda Subhan’s role in meeting blood supply needs. The community grew from concern for patients’ families who were struggling to find donors.

“At that time, especially in Sekadau District, many people were searching for blood, sometimes going from place to place. That’s when Pak Subhan Syah had the idea to create the Blood Warriors Community,” Asyer said.

The community, Asyer explained, is not a formal organisation. Any resident wishing to donate blood is welcome to join.

“We formed it before Covid. Pak Subhan would mobilise us together with the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI). He would contact companies celebrating anniversaries and ask whether they could host blood donation events, so indirectly he was campaigning on a large scale for blood sharing,” he explained.

Asyer said Ipda Subhan is the founder of the community. Subhan also partnered with PMI Sekadau District and the local regional hospital for the community’s blood donation activities.

“We emphasise that everything done by the Blood Warriors Community is completely free. Thank God, we have never charged patients a single rupiah. We are committed to helping people,” he said.

For Asyer, Ipda Subhan is an approachable figure. He noted that Subhan even uses his personal funds to organise mass blood drives.

“I’ve known him for a long time — he’s humble and down-to-earth. He helps fund things, and he also liaises with PMI. Pak Subhan sometimes acts as the communication bridge between communities or companies and PMI, with PMI then carrying out the operations,” he explained.

Asyer explained that people needing blood can contact the Blood Warriors Community directly. He stressed that the community responds promptly whenever a patient needs blood.

“Sometimes there’s no one contacting us for a week. But when there’s a need, it can be three, four, even five patients at once. When blood stocks are empty, we try to personally message people we know who have the required blood type,” he said.

Born from Grief Over a Resident’s Death

Ipda Subhan formed the community on 10 November 2019, whilst serving as a community policing officer in Sungai Ringin and Selalong villages. It began with his distress over a resident who died because they could not receive a blood transfusion.

“A resident I was responsible for came to me asking for type AB blood. He searched everywhere. Then a week later he came back and asked me to help find AB blood. I went around to residents, but he still couldn’t get any. The following week, I heard the patient had died because they couldn’t get a blood transfusion,” Ipda Subhan said.

Grieving over the resident’s death, Ipda Subhan resolved to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. He rallied his friends to donate blood, and the community was born.

“We held a mass blood drive, and those who came I invited to join the community. Over time it has grown — there are now over 100 members, though there are regular donors outside the group as well,” he said.

Subhan said the community also assists PMI Sekadau, which still lacks blood bank facilities. Whenever blood donation events are held, Subhan contacts PMI to provide the personnel who conduct the donations.

“PMI has an office in our district, but there’s no blood bank facility. Collected blood cannot be stored at PMI because they don’t have a blood bank, so it’s deposited at Sekadau Hospital’s laboratory,” he said.

Subhan said the volunteers in the community are ready whenever a resident needs blood. The Blood Warriors Community also conducts routine mass blood drives at least four times a year.

“We don’t have a blood bank. This community was formed with volunteers who are ready to donate blood at any time. Now many people know about it — PMI, clinics — when there’s a patient needing a transfusion, they direct them to us,” he explained.

Subhan said blood demand in Sekadau is very high. He noted that even patients from neighbouring districts contact the Blood Warriors Community.

“Demand is extremely high. Even with this community, we still struggle to keep up. With only just over 100 members, and our hospital being a district-level facility serving patients from all sub-districts, there’s a daily need for blood, yet we don’t have enough volunteer donors,” he said.

Subhan said that before the community existed, residents sometimes had to contact blood banks in neighbouring districts. Now they can directly reach the Blood Warriors Community to find donors.

“The nearest PMI with a blood bank is in the neighbouring district, and there’s no memorandum of understanding with the hospital in Sekadau District. Even if a patient is covered by BPJS national health insurance, they still have to pay Rp 360,000 per bag for blood handling costs. But if they’re on BPJS and a volunteer donates at Sekadau Hospital, it’s free — so it’s a tremendous help,” he said.

Subhan said the Blood Warriors Community runs a regular mass blood drive programme. The costs are covered by Subhan’s personal funds, individual donors, and corporate contributions.

“From 2019 until now, there has been no government assistance. So when I organise blood drives, I use my own money, and friends chip in with donations too. For each blood drive event, catering costs are around Rp 2–3 million. So I have to set money aside,” he said.

Once Served as a Volunteer Teacher

Besides founding the Blood Warriors Community, Subhan also served as a volunteer teacher at SDN 21 in Sungai Ringin Village. He began teaching at the school after his community patrol visits.

“I happened to live in the Bhabin officer’s quarters, and there was a school nearby. I would often visit the school on patrols and chat, and that’s where the idea came about,” he said.

Subhan taught Pancasila education. He was scheduled to visit the school once a week.

“The headmistress asked, ‘How about it, Pak Bhabin — could you teach Pancasila studies?’ I said, ‘Yes, Ma’am, I’d be happy to, within the limits of my ability.’ It was more about civic guidance, and having a police presence there too. I taught for two years before continuing to officer training school,” he said.

Helping PMI Meet Blood Supply Needs

Irpandi, the chairman of PMI Sekadau District, expressed his appreciation for the Blood Warriors Community initiated by Ipda Subhan. He said PMI has been greatly assisted by the community’s existence.

“We feel that the Blood Warriors organisation has been extremely helpful in meeting the blood needs of Sekadau District residents, given the high demand — there is someone needing blood almost every day. That is where the Blood Warriors schedule mass blood drives initiated by Pak Subhan in cooperation with PMI Sekadau District,” Irpandi said.

Irpandi said PMI deploys personnel and a mobile blood donation unit for these activities. Together with Blood Warriors volunteers, PMI conducts blood drives and the blood is given to patients in need.

“Pak Subhan is quite active in social work, especially blood donation. He often accompanies volunteers donating blood at the blood transfusion unit to ensure donors aren’t confused and that blood reaches the right recipients. The blood demand in Sekadau District is quite high, so patients from Sekadau often have to request blood from PMI Sanggau District when local stocks are empty,” Irpandi said.