A young man donates blood during AmCham’s World Blood Donation Days programme in HCM City. More than 1,000 people are expected to donate blood this year. VNS Photo Bồ Xuân Hiệp |
HCM CITY — The American Chamber of Commerce in Việt Nam (AmCham Việt Nam) helped organise blood donations in HCM City yesterday during World Blood Donor Day, which was initiated by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
AmCham is working with the HCM City Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion and the HCM City Humanitarian Blood Donation Centre-Red Cross to carry out the campaign at six locations from July 12-20.
Dr Nguyễn Phước Bích Hạnh, of the HCM City Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, said there was a shortage of safe blood supply at the institute.
“We encourage everyone to donate blood, but they should do it only in three-month intervals. My daughter and I frequently donate blood,” Hạnh told Việt Nam News.
The World Blood Donor Day aims to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products. It also pays tribute to voluntary unpaid blood donors who help to save lives daily.
The six-day event is expected to attract more than 1,000 blood donors.
Though the number of voluntary blood donations rose nearly 8 per cent last year, the supply of donated blood meets only 58 per cent of the need nationwide, according to the institute. — VNS