The 11th Red Journey blood donation campaign is officially launched nationwide in Bạc Liêu province on Monday, collecting 1,000 blood units. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The blood donation schedule will be enhanced in the northern and southern provinces to ensure sufficient blood supply for hospitals in the Mekong Delta region, which is currently facing a shortage of blood for treatment.

Associate Professor Nguyễn Hà Thanh, director of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, said the institute's National Blood Centre has co-operated with the Cần Thơ Hematology and Blood Transfusion Hospital and the Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation in the provinces/cities of the Mekong Delta region to develop a plan to receive blood donation. 

They will also transfer a portion of supplies, chemicals, and blood bags from the institute in Hà Nội to Cần Thơ to ensure the continuity of blood donation activities and effectively organise the Red Journey 2023 programme in this region.

On Monday morning, the 11th Red Journey blood donation campaign was officially launched nationwide in Bạc Liêu province, collecting 1,000 blood units.

This blood was transferred to Hà Nội for the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion to conduct screening tests, process it into safe blood products and supply it back to the Mekong Delta region.

The institute has requested blood centres in the region to continue coordinating and strengthening support in supplying blood and blood products to the Cần Thơ Hematology and Blood Transfusion Hospital and healthcare facilities in the Mekong Delta region, especially blood products such as platelets, plasma, and products belonging to rare blood groups, Thanh said.

Earlier in June, due to difficulties in tendering and procuring supplies, screening reagents, and blood testing, the Cần Thơ Hematology and Blood Transfusion Hospital faced a shortage of blood and blood products to supply 74 lower-level hospitals in the Mekong Delta region. 

The hospital has sent a letter requesting the prudent use of blood, only for emergency cases.

From March until June 6, the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, blood transfusion centres under Chợ Rẫy Hospital, HCM City Hematology and Blood Transfusion Hospital actively coordinated and supplied 20,205 units of red blood cells to the Cần Thơ Hematology and Blood Transfusion Hospital. 

The National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion alone supplied nearly 11,500 units of blood. In the past two weeks, the institute provided 1,600 units of blood per week for Cần Thơ.

Nguyễn Xuân Việt, Director of the Cần Thơ City Hematology and Blood Transfusion Hospital, stated that the hospital is the third largest blood transfusion centre in the country and a source hospital that provides blood and blood products to 74 hospitals in the Mekong Delta region, adding that the support from other hospitals during this time has been extremely valuable.

However, it has only been able to meet over 60 per cent of the emergency and treatment needs of the 74 hospitals in the 11 provinces of the Mekong Delta region, compared to the monthly demand of 12,000-15,000 blood units, Việt said. 

A representative from the Blood Transfusion Centre of Chợ Rãy Hospital said that the hospital would continue to provide monthly support of 1,000 packed red blood cell units for the Mekong Delta region in the next three months.

In April and May, the hospital's Blood Transfusion Centre supported Cần Thơ City with 4,000 packed red blood cell units and 27 units of platelet concentrate.

The representative of Chợ Rẫy Hospital said that they immediately reviewed the blood supply capacity of the unit after receiving a letter from the Cần Thơ Hematology and Blood Transfusion Hospital.

However, the amount of packed red blood cells provided only meets 50 per cent of Cần Thơ's request. — VNS