One hundred frequent blood donors were on June 10 honoured by the Ministry of Health and the Vietnam Red Cross at an event themed “Every blood donor is a hero”.

Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien (R) hands a certificate of merit to one of the frequent blood donors, Photo: VNA

“Contributions from of blood donors helps save lives of patients and solves the health sector’s blood shortage,” Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said at the event held to celebrate World Blood Donor Day on Thursday, June 14.

Kieu Thi Le Hoa has donated blood 50 times and encouraged more than 1,000 people in southern Tay Ninh province to follow suit.

As a member of Tay Ninh’s provincial Red Cross, Hoa started to donate blood in 2000 when local people were still unaware of blood donation.

“I had no fear, even when I donated blood for the first time. My first donation was fast and simple,” Hoa said.

Since then she has donated blood 4-5 times a year together with her children, family members and friends.

Each year she mobilises more than 100 people to donate blood, beginning a “wave” of a thousand donors over the past 12 years, many of them donating blood more than 50 times. They include Vu Ngoc Linh from HCM City (donating 65 times), Le Trung Hau (60), Nguyen Thi Hong Diep (57) and Tong Phuoc Quan (56).

Le Thi Kin Dinh, of Hanoi , has encouraged 260 donations, contributing more than 300 blood units to the health sector.

Health sector statistics show 780,000 blood units were collected last year thanks to the voluntary blood donation movement, an increase of 15 percent compared with the previous year.

The country needs around 1.7 million blood units, which each contains approximately 450ml, each year for emergencies and treatment, say the Ministry of Health.

Source: VNA