Office workers in HCM City take part in a blood donation campaign organised by AmCham Vietnam to mark World Blood Donor Day. Photo courtesy of AmCham Vietnam

HCM CITY — The American Chamber of Commerce in Việt Nam (AmCham Vietnam) and the HCM City Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion have begun a blood donation campaign to mark World Blood Donor Days, June 14.

To go on until June 20 at nine locations in HCM City, the ten-day campaign has seen employees of many companies and students register to donate blood.

“The call for blood donation is of utmost importance, which is done by many organisations around the world, including in Việt Nam,” Amanda Rasmussen, chairwoman of AmCham Vietnam, said.

“AmCham Vietnam has been actively engaged for the past nine years in efforts to collect a safe supply of blood for patients who need it for treatment, including life-saving situations."

World Blood Donor Day is one of the activities that WHO carries out globally to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank voluntary unpaid blood donors.

The theme of this year’s campaign is “Safe blood for all”, and WHO hopes to use World Blood Donor Day to raise awareness of the universal need for safe blood in the delivery of healthcare and the crucial role that voluntary donation plays in achieving the goal of universal health coverage.

An earlier campaign by AmCham in January this year attracted 123 volunteers and collected 147 units of blood. —VNS