Red Journey collects more than 23,000 units of blood

More than 23,000 units of blood were collected during a 20-day Red Journey blood donation campaign in 20 provinces and cities. — Photo Courtesy of VTV-CORP
Viet Nam News
HCM CITY — More than 23,000 units of blood were collected during a 20-day Red Journey blood donation campaign in 20 provinces and cities.

HCM City and provinces of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu, Khánh Hòa, Đắk Lắk and Thái Nguyên collected a total of more than 1,000 units.

In July, HCM City and the provinces of Kiên Giang, Nghệ An, Thanh Hóa, Thừa Thiên Huế and Khánh Hòa faced a shortage of blood for patients needing emergency aid.

The campaign will continue in eight more provinces and cities until July 27.

Begun by the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion in 2013, the campaign aims to raise awareness about the need for blood donations as well as thalassaemia, a genetic blood disorder that can lead to heart failure and liver problems.

Professor Dr Nguyễn Anh Trí, head of the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, said the amount of blood collected in the areas where the campaign was held had met local demand.

However, provinces and cities where the campaign has not been held still face a shortage of blood.

To ensure enough blood for the long term, Trí called on all healthy people to donate blood at any time of the year, not just during campaigns like Red Journey. —VNS