HCM CITY — The blood donation campaign “Red Sunday” was held at 70 locations in 41 provinces and cities nationwide yesterday, aiming to collect about 50,000 blood units to help ease blood shortages in hospitals nationwide during the Tết (Lunar New Year) holidays. 

Nearly 3,000 blood donors, including university students, lecturers and other young people throughout HCM City yesterday took part in the event.

The Red Sunday campaign, organised by Tiền Phong (Vanguard) newspaper, the National Steering Committee on Traffic Safety and the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion since 2009, had attracted more and more students and young people every year, with an increasing volume of blood collected, Vũ Tiến, deputy editor in chief of Tiền Phong (Vanguard) newspaper, said.

The campaign this year aimed to collect nearly 50,000 units of blood, a huge increase from the 96 units collected in 2009 (the first year of the campaign), Tiến said.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyễn Văn Phúc said that voluntary blood donation was an important activity for universities, in addition to training and research.

According to the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, the demand for blood is rising. The centre provides blood for 160 hospitals in the northern and central region, totalling 1,200 units each day.

It estimates that 90,000 units, including 40 per cent of type O blood, will be needed by the end of next month. Currently, there are just 75,000 units of donated blood available.

HCM City is expected to face a shortage of 12,000 blood units during the Tết holidays.

On Saturday, more than 300 units of blood were donated at the launch of a charity programme called Nhà Sạch Đón Tết (Cleaning House to Welcome Tết), organised by the South Africa Honorary Consulate in HCM City.

Also yesterday, the northern province of Bắc Giang held the Red Sunday campaign and launched the Red Spring Festival 2019, which will run through March 15. The province targets at least 6,000 people engaging in the event and 3,000 blood units, completing 20 per cent of the goal for the whole year. This is the fourth year that Bắc Giang has opened the Red Spring festival at the same time as the Red Sunday event. The same day, nearly 1,000 youngsters in the central city of Đà Nẵng gathered at local Red Sunday site to donate blood. The city expected to receive about 800 blood units during the day.

At the same time, in Thanh Hoá City of the central province of Thanh Hoá, 1,500 volunteers also donated about 700 blood units during the Red Sunday event. — VNS