About 100 outstanding blood donors are honoured for their contribution to the country’s voluntary blood donation mobilisation movement in 2023 in Hà Nội on July 29. — VNS Photo Thanh Hải

HÀ NỘI — About 100 outstanding blood donors were honoured for their contribution to the country’s voluntary blood donation mobilisation movement in 2023 at a ceremony in Hà Nội on July 29.

The annual event was organised by the National Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation in collaboration with the Việt Nam Red Cross Society and the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion.

This year’s event is the 15th such ceremony since the establishment of the National Steering Committee for Advocating for Human Rights in 2008. To date, about 1,500 outstanding blood donors have been honoured in the country. They are all role models for blood donation even in emergency situations along with those who actively mobilised thousands of people to participate in blood donation.

The 100 outstanding donors are excellent examples selected by localities and units, representing tens of thousands of typical individuals in the country who have made excellent achievements in blood donation activities and mobilised many people to participate in blood donation. Among them, Mr. Nguyễn Đức Thuận from Hà Nội donated his blood 106 times, and Mr. Trần Minh Mến from Bình Thuận Province donated blood 100 times and mobilised nearly 3,000 people to participate in blood donation. Ms. Hồ Kim Phương from HCM City has donated blood 78 times, and she is also the female donor with the highest number of blood donations at this year’s event.

“Blood is very special that can only be donated from healthy people and so far cannot be produced artificially,” said Minister of Health Đào Hồng Lan, Head of the National Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation.

“During nearly 30 years of launching the voluntary blood donation movement in Việt Nam, there have been millions of people participating in blood donation, in which many typical examples have donated blood from dozens to more than 100 times, mobilising both relatives, families and communities together to donate blood. With noble gestures, rich in compassion, for the health of the community, the health sector has been able to give first aid and treatment to patients, contributing to protecting the health and improving the life quality of people across the country,” said Lan.

"Voluntary blood donation not only saves lives, but we also sow more seeds of kindness, sharing, and love in life, beautifying the tradition of our nation. I would like to call on those who are healthy enough to participate in the blood donation movement, donate blood regularly and repeatedly to maintain a stable source of blood for emergencies and patient treatment," said Bùi Thị Hòa, President of the Vietnam Red Cross Society, Standing Deputy of the National Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation.

In Việt Nam, after the COVID-19 pandemic, voluntary blood donation activities have stabilised in both quantity and quality. The amount of collected blood nationwide in 2022 reached over 1.43 million blood units, of which 99 per cent are from voluntary blood donors, equivalent to nearly 1.5 per cent of the population participating in blood donation.

In the first months of 2023, the whole country mobilised and donated nearly 900,000 blood units through various campaigns, such as the campaign for voluntary blood donation during Tết - Red Spring Festival and People's Volunteer Blood Donor Day on April 7, the Red Blood Drops and Red Journey.

The Red Journey campaign collected 115,000 blood units

A woman donates her blood at an event of Red Journey in Thái Nguyên Province. — Photo courtesy of the NIHBT

Red Journey has been the largest annual blood donation campaign since 2013. The campaign is an effective solution to blood shortage for treatment every summer. This year, Red Journey 2023 has collected more than 115,000 blood units in 46 provinces and cities across the country from June 1 to July 30, according to the  National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion.

Over the past 11 years, Red Journey has taken place in 58 of 63 provinces and cities, receiving a total of over 810,000 blood units. The programme has achieved five main goals, including creating a large communication campaign from central to local levels, meeting blood demand for treatment, improving the quality of blood collection and mobilisation, coordinating the work of the blood receive-supply programme nationwide and spreading a spirit of kindness, love, and responsibility to society.

“The Red Journey has contributed to bringing life to thousands of patients, helping the health sector overcome many difficulties and challenges to ensure the care and protection of people's health. Not only contributing to raising the awareness of millions of people about voluntary blood donation, the Red Journey really aroused the love, the sense of compatriots, and embellished the proud tradition of mutual love and affection of our nation,” said Assoc. Prof. Nguyễn Hà Thanh, Director of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Head of the Red Journey 2023 Organising Committee. — VNS