Associate professor Nguyễn Hà Thanh, head of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (standing), gives regards to a blood donor at the Pink Spring Festival. — Photo courtesy of the institute

HÀ NỘI — The Pink Spring blood donation this year was kicked off on Sunday, the ninth day of the Lunar New Year, earlier than in previous years, said the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT).

The eight-day festival will be held at three locations, including the NIHBT (all eight days), the Trâu Quỳ Junior Secondary School (on Thursday and Friday) and AEON Mall Hà Đông (on Saturday).

This is the largest blood donation event in the beginning of spring, organised by the NIHBT and the Hà Nội Association of Youth Blood Donor Recruiters.

With the message "Donate blood in spring – Multiply happiness", the festival hopes that all people with sufficient health conditions will be eager to donate their blood as a gift, as lucky money to patients in need of blood.

Last year, the festival was held for seven days in seven places. It attracted more than 12,000 blood donors and received more than 11,700 units of blood.

In recent days, thanks to the community's joint efforts and widened humanitarian actions, the NIHBT has significantly overcome the shortage of blood reserves for Tết holiday.

At the end of last month, the NIHBT called for blood donations in response to an alarming decrease in blood inventory. It lacked about 10,000 units of blood in reserve for the Lunar New Year festival.

In the two first months of the Lunar New Year, the NIHBT needs at least 80,000 units of blood to supply more than 180 medical facilities in 31 provinces and cities, in which group O needs about 40,000 units.

Although it had prepared to receive blood in advance, the blood reception last month was lower than the demand.

This is due to the impact of harsh weather and severe cold in many places, while the demand for blood for treatment during Tết increased.

After nearly a week of calling, even though the days before Tết were extremely busy, thousands of people came forward to donate blood.

Not only in Hà Nội, many people in neighbouring provinces are ready to take buses or rent cars, braving traffic jams to get to Hà Nội to give their precious blood with the spirit of "not letting patients wait for blood on Tết”.

Then, 500 units of blood was transported immediately to the Cần Thơ Hematology Blood Transfusion Hospital to supply patients in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta.

People can register for blood donation via the website https://sites.google.com/view/lehoixuanhong/. — VNS