‘Red Sunday' blood drive collects over 1,400 units
Over 1,400 blood units were collected
on Red Sunday on Jan. 9, a blood donation day in Hanoi.
The event was organised by the Vanguard Newspaper, National Institute
of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) and the HCM Communist Youth
Union. It was part of the youth festival for humanitarian blood
donation launched by the Youth Union nationwide.
‘By
beginning 2011 with a blood donation festival, the Youth Union hopes to
encourage compassion among millions of young people to share the
difficulties with patients and doctors during the blood shortage
period," said the HCM Youth Union Secretary Nguyen Dac Vinh at the
event.
The organiser said more than 21,000 people
registered to give blood. Donors included students, artists and locals
from Hanoi .
Miss Vietnam 2010 Dang Thi Ngoc Han gave blood for the third time and brought excitement and cheer to the charitable event.
"Donating blood is a good deed. We should enlarge the blood donation movement to save more unlucky people", Han said.
Nguyen Thi Hien, a member of the Prison 84 staff in Tu Liem district
who donated blood for the third time, said just a small amount of blood
could save someone.
"I wish to help unlucky patients have a healthy Tet," Hien said.
The health sector said hospitals have faced blood shortages leading up
to Tet, the lunar new year. The blood transfusion institute, NIHBT, said
its blood bank currently has about 4,000 blood units, only one-third of
the necessary amount.
Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen
Thi Xuyen said the blood demand is increasing because of modern
treatment methods. Ensuring safe and quality blood sources is an urgent
and long-term task of the health sector.
The Youth Union
said the blood donation festival, with the theme, Share the youth blood –
For community health, was also held on Jan. 9 at 12 other provincial
youth unions across the country. The remaining areas will hold the event
later this month.
The nationwide festival is expected to
collect about 40,000 blood units from the 82,000 people who've
registered and attract about 150,000 youth participants./.