HÀ NỘI — Party Central Committee General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong on Thursday wrote to the compatriots nationwide to mark the 20th anniversary of the “All-people blood donation day” (April 7), calling on them to step up their efforts.

In his letter, the top leader commended donors, organisations and individuals for their active participation, describing it as a manifestation of their responsibility and sentiment towards the community and the society.

He said the drive has developed all over the nation, but at the same time also pointed out that there are still many places which run short of blood at various points of time, calling the situation a great loss to the blood-needing patients and a hindrance to medical treatment.

The leader used the occasion to ask the Party units, administrations, organisations and the whole society to continue facilitating the acceleration of the drive, and called on the compatriots to be ready and willing to donate their blood.

This is for a healthy and humane society and contributing to the protection, care for and improvement of the people’s health as well as the sustainable national development, he concluded.

Health authorities and hospitals across the country have been calling for people to donate blood when the blood supplies are dwindling sharply amid the COVID-19 outbreak. — VNS