Country honours blood donors

One hundred people from all corners of the country who regularly donate blood were honoured on Saturday in Hanoi, ahead of World Blood Donor Day today.

Among those praised for their humanitarian act was To Phuc Hoa, 60, who works for Ban Co Trading Co-operative in Ho Chi Minh City. He has donated blood 60 times.

He first gave blood in 1997. Since then, Hoa has taken one day off every three months expressly to donate blood.

To keep fit, Hoa goes to the gym and walks every day. He does not smoke or drink alcohol.

"I feel more healthy after regularly donating my blood," he adds.

Health regulations mean this will be the last year Hoa can donate blood. However, he has already enlisted the support of his family, and his two sons have now donated blood 22 times.

Hoa, undaunted by the prospect of no longer being able to make his quarterly contribution to the health of the nation, said his final humanitarian act would be to donate his body to medicine when he dies.

Tran Ngoc Tuyet, a 54-year-old housewife in HCM City, once donated two units of blood units (400ml) – twice the accepted norm – to save the life of a patient dying from heart disease.

The patient needed blood for a desperately needed operation.

"A doctor said he needed one more blood unit and asked for my help," Tuyet said.

"Giving extra blood is nothing compared to saving a life. I said okay instantly."

The patient recovered from his operation and was discharged from hospital a few months after the surgery.

Tuyet has donated blood 37 times. Tuyet has also participated in every humanitarian activity organised by her local ward authority and has encouraged her husband and children to donate blood.

Giving blood is also a way of life for war veteran Le Dinh Duat and her family.

"I usually say to my children that every drop of blood they donate could save a life," Duat, from Ha Noi's Thanh Xuan District, said.

Duat's family has donated a total of 154 blood units, a national record.

Tran Ngoc Tang, deputy chairman of the National Steering Committee for Humanitarian Blood Mobilisation and Donation, said during the awards ceremony that it was everyone's duty to donate blood.

"Blood donors really are heroes. Their blood gives new life to needy patients. Their contribution should be praised and honoured," Tang said.

"The theme of this year's event is designed to get more young people involved in the blood donation movement. Youngsters account for 70 per cent of all voluntarily blood donors in Viet Nam," Tang said.

Hanoi also honoured 100 local residents who have regularly given blood, while teenagers attending the event also donated a total of 300 blood.

Statistics from the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, showed that 130,000 units of blood was donated in 1992. That figure had risen to 630,000 units in 2009. However, the health sector said the amount of blood being donated met just 40 per cent of the nation's needs.

The National Steering Committee for Blood Donation and Mobilisation plans to collect more than 683,000 units of blood this year.