(VOV) - In 2010, youth unions at all levels collected approximately 140,000 blood units from the Month of Youth and Voluntary Summer blood donation campaigns.
According to the Ministry of Health, the volume of blood units collected from donors across the country shows a five-fold increase, from 138,000 units in 1994 to more than 675,000 blood units this year, of which, 84.2 percent came from the volunteers.
Over the past few years, humanitarian blood donation campaigns have received a positive response from people throughout the country, especially from students and pupils.
Ass.Professor. Dr Nguyen Dac Vinh, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCMCYU) has regarded voluntary blood donation as a regular activity to uphold the “mutual affection” tradition.
Youth unions at grassroots level have encouraged young people to take part in voluntary blood donation campaigns.
Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi City Youth Union, Nguyen Hong Dan said that the newly-established youth association for voluntary blood donation has attracted more than 3,000 volunteers so far to engage in distributing posters, flyers and audio tapes on the launch of blood donation campaigns in 577 wards, districts, agencies and schools.
The Hanoi’s HCMCYU often sends volunteers to encourage students and citizens at hostels and residential areas to donate blood. Thanks to diverse activities, thousands of students and local residents joined blood donation campaigns.
Most blood donors are fully aware of the need to save other lives. Many students consider it their responsibility and duty to donate blood.
Ho Quang Minh, Secretary of the Phu Thuong Ward’s HCMCYU in Tay Ho precinct, Hanoi who have donated his blood 34 times in the past 11 years said each time blood donation made him feel like being revived. He has encouraged nearly 4,000 other young people do the same.
Nguyen Hong Nhung, a student of the Hanoi Law University, who has donated her blood 10 times and encouraged many others to contribute 3,000 blood units said blood donation is to save other people’s lives and it does not affect donors’ health.
Le Hoang Anh, Deputy head of the School Youth Department of the HCMCYU said the Ho Chi Minh CYU, the Vietnam Youth Union Association and the Vietnam Students’ Association, which are members of the National Steering Committee on Blood Donations have organised a wide range of activities, involving large numbers of students and pupils.
The HCMCYU has worked with the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion and social youth network www.cyworld.vn to establish an online blood bank.
Despite all these efforts, the Ministry of Health said many hospitals are running short of blood for patients.
Doctor Nguyen Anh Tri, Director of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, said for this reason all people should donate their blood to save other people’s lives.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended that the amount of blood units be at least 1.8 million a year equal to 2 percent of population. In 2010 Vietnam collected 675,438 units, short of 1 million.