Hanoi (VNA) - Nearly 4,200 units of blood were collected from theyouth and other volunteers in the final collection drive of the annualblood-donation campaign Hanh trinh do (Red Journey) 2017.

The donation drive was organised by the National Institute of Haematology andBlood Transfusion (NIHBT) in Hanoi on July 29.

With this, the total amount collected from 28 blood-donation events in the pastmonth, held across 28 provinces and cities nationwide, have reached over 38,000units.

“The Red Journey is an initiative of NIHBT to handle blood shortage situationin localities across the nation during the summer. Over the five-year implementation,the journey has achieved outstanding results in making available blood sourcesduring emergencies and for treatment in hospitals during the summer,” saidDeputy Minister of Health Truong Quoc Cuong at the event.

Cuong said the campaign had successfully achieved its goals of helpingprovinces and cities organise blood donation festivals and communicationdrives, as well as to handle the huge amount of blood collected.

“In 2017, more than 16,000 blood units collected from Can Tho city, Lam Dong, DakLak, Tuyen Quang provinces were sent to the NIHBT in Hanoi to ease the bloodshortage situation in 170 hospitals in the 27 northern provinces,” said Cuong.

“It means that patients in the mountainous provinces of Dong Van or Ha Giangalso received similar qualified blood units as patients in Hanoi,” said Cuong.
 
Cuong also praised the contributions of thousands of health workers andvolunteers nationwide, especially the 140 outstanding volunteers who travelledacross the country to collect blood and encourage people to donate them. 

“I can say that the journey has given us the expected results. It has changedthe people’s mindset and the community’s awareness about voluntary blooddonation,” added Cuong.

Permanent member of the National Assembly’s Social AffairsCommittee Luu Binh Nhuong also attended the event to donate hisblood. 

“This is my fourth time. Donating blood is not only the responsibility of eachresident, but also of the whole community for the sake of people’s health careand protection,” said Nhuong.

“I think that everybody, including policy makers or managers, should getinvolved in the voluntary blood donation movement,” said he.

Nguyen Thi Nguyet, a mother from Thach That district, Hanoi, was present alongwith her two-year-old son at the event to donate her blood. Nguyet said she haddonated blood six times, while her husband had donated blood 14 times.

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Both Nguyet and her husband, have the same sense of purpose, which is to savelives.

“I am happy to donate to save the lives of needy patients. I will continue todonate my blood in the future,” said Nguyet.   

During the one-month campaign, 140 outstanding volunteers, divided into twogroups, travelled through 28 provinces and cities nationwide to collect bloodand spread the message about the importance of donating blood.

They also called upon the public to donate blood in a bid to ease the currentblood shortage at hospitals and raise community awareness of thalassemia - agenetic blood disorder that can lead to heart failure and liver problems.

Since the first Red Journey in 2013, thousands of patients’ lives have beensaved thanks to the nearly 120,000 blood units collected in the past fiveyears. The campaign has contributed to easing blood shortage during the summerwhen voluntary donors, mainly students, go home for the summer vacation,according to NIHBT.

NIHBT Director Nguyen Anh Tri said that Red Journey was seen as a most unique,outstanding and effective model of voluntary blood donation mobilisationmovement in Vietnam over the past years.

In 2016, the health sector collected 1.4 million units of blood, 90 percent ofwhich came from voluntary donors, while only 10 percent was collected frompeople who sold their blood for money

The health sector has set a goal of collecting at least 1.7 million units ofblood in 2017.-VNA