Outstanding blood donors receive medals and certificates at a ceremony in HCM City on May 31 (Source: VNA)HCM City (VNA) - A total of 811 individuals and organisations in Ho ChiMinh City were honoured at a conference on May 31 for donating bloodand contributing to the city’s voluntary blood donation movement.
Of them, 71 individuals donated blood40 times and 178 others donated 30 times.
Seventeen organisations were presentedblood donation medals by the Vietnam Red Cross.
Nguyen Tan Binh, director of thecity Department of Health, said the number of voluntary donors had beenincreasing in recent years, helping save thousands of lives.
He called on organisationsand individuals to participate in voluntary blood donation campaigns.
Nguyen Hoang An, deputy chairman of theHCM City chapter of the Red Cross, said the city received more than 273,490units of blood from voluntary donors last year, which was 94.8 percent ofthe target.
The city held 30 training coursesfor 2,730 volunteers at 24 district voluntary blood donation centres,two universities and the Humanitarian Blood Donation Centre.
This year the city is looking toget 260,000 units of blood from donors.
To achieve the goal ofincreasing the blood donation rate, the city plans to enhancepublicity to raise community awareness of the benefits of voluntary blooddonation and safe blood transfusion.
It seeks to sustain the number ofrepeat donors and increase the number of people donatingblood, especially youths.
At least 30 percent of governmentworkers, Youth Union members and students, adding up to around 80,000 people,are expected to give blood.
The city's 60,000 medical workers arealso encouraged to participate in blood donation campaigns.
Annual campaigns like Red SpringFestival and Red Blood in Summer, and others run to mark Voluntary BloodDonation Day (April 7) and the World Blood Donor Day(June 14) are organised throughout the year.
Around 61,700 units were collectedfrom donors in the first quarter of this year.-VNA
