Posters call for people to donate blood type A (Source: VNA)Stores of blood-type-A at the Hanoi-based National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion are almost exhausted with only 160 units of 250ml left.
The hospital said that it needed 500 units of type-A daily to ensure enough supply for patients at the hospital and the northern region, of which it is the biggest blood bank.
Many patients, especially children, have had to suspend treatment for blood related diseases, the online newspaper Vnexpress reported.
Luu Ban Quan, 8, from the northern province of Bac Kan, suffers from Thalassemia, an inherited blood disorder caused when the body does not make enough haemoglobin. He is one of the children at the hospital waiting for a type-A blood transfusion.
Quan has had to go to the hospital every six weeks for blood transfusion since he was four months old.
The mother of Luu Uyen Nhi, a 5-year-old girl from the northern province of Vinh Phuc suffering from blood cancer, said she was very worried about the depletion of the blood supplies.
The hospital has asked people throughout the country to donate blood, especially type-A. The hospital's blood donation site is open between 7:30am and 10pm every day. People can call 04 3868 6008 or go to the hospital's official website www.nihbt.org.vn for further information.
At present, 90 percent of the blood bank comes from blood donors and 10 percent is bought.
Under a circular issued in 2014 by the Ministry of Health, it costs about 603,000 VND (27 USD) per unit of blood.-VNA
