Vietnam - More blood-donor sites to be set up

VietNamNet Bridge – A more intensive model for voluntary blood donation, called Blood Donation Street, is expected to become a major source of blood next year following good results achieved during a pilot period last month.


Initiated by the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion and Ha Noi's Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation, blood donation sites will be set up throughout residential areas.

The donation scheme was carried out for the first time in August on the Le Loi, Luong Dinh Cua, Tran Dang Ninh and Mai Dong streets of Ha Noi.

Institute statistics revealed that 376 blood units were donated by 571 donors during the eight-day campaign (two days per street).

"The new model has created additional donor access," said institute director Nguyen Anh Tri.

The institute plans to expand the model to five more streets in Ha Noi by the end of this year, he added.

"The model would be a key blood donation source for 2012, aiming to provide voluntary blood donation opportunities to donors in residential areas," Tri stressed, saying that it would require huge support from both local administrations and volunteers.

Secretary of the Kim Lien Youth Union, Nguyen Thi Phuong Mai, said that the model had uncovered a new potential for blood donation in the community.

"Although we have donated blood several times before, this time would be the easiest it's ever been," she said.

Mai and her husband donated blood together in the Kim Lien Ward, which received a total of 63 blood units.

The model aims to create a strong communication campaign focused on blood donation on streets and in residential areas while strengthening awareness amongst communities, Tri said.

"Blood Donation Street will provide many people with handy access to providing blood," he noted.

Though various voluntary blood donation campaigns, including Red Sunday and Red Spring, have already been carried out in Ha Noi, the new model would make blood donation accessible at grassroots level, according to Tri.

Ministry of Health statistics show that Viet Nam is currently able to meet only 40 per cent of blood transfusion demands.

Last year, the health sector had managed to collect over 675,000 blood units, 84.2 per cent coming from volunteers. However, only around 0.78 per cent of Vietnamese people have ever donated blood.

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