The fourth fixed blood donation center was launched this week at the Agricultural General Hospital in Hanoi’s Thanh Tri District, according to the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT).

The center is part of an attempt to address the issue of blood shortage in the capital city.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Dr. Bach Quoc Khanh, director of the NIHBT, said that blood donation in Vietnam has seen remarkable progress over the past years but blood collection is mainly carried out by mobile blood collection units, resulting in an irregular supply of blood, which in turn leads to blood shortage.

Dr. Bach Quoc Khanh, director of the NIHBT speaks at the launching ceremony. Photo: Duy Khanh

Hanoi is a city with a high population density which implies a large blood reserve, Dr. Khanh noted, adding that the fourth fixed blood donation center in the capital will operate regularly every day of the week.

The director emphasized that the center will make it easier for people to donate blood regularly, contribute to forming the habit of donating blood and making blood supply sustainable.

Dr. Khanh hoped the center will be an address for residents in Thanh Tri District to donate their blood and get periodic health checks.

Earlier, in June 2019, the first three fixed blood donation centers in Hanoi were opened at Hoan Kiem Clinic (26 Luong Ngoc Quyen Street, Hoan Kiem District), Dong Da Clinic (107 Ton Duc Thang Street, Dong Da District) and Nhan Chinh Clinic (132 Quan Nhan Street, Thanh Xuan District).

The centers open daily and are expected to make it more convenient for people to donate blood regularly. Most of the donated blood was from universities, colleges, companies, and organizations.

The out-of-hospital blood donation centers are expected to facilitate people's blood donation and help them get regular medical check-ups.

In the past three years, fixed blood donation centers have welcomed more than 100,000 local residents who came to donate blood and for health checkups. More than 86,000 units of donated blood have been collected through these centers, which were insufficient for emergencies and treatment as Hanoi is home to many central hospitals with a high demand for blood.

From the beginning of 2022, tens of thousands of people have actively donated blood at these locations with around 70,000 blood units. Donating blood has become widespread in Vietnam thanks to several campaigns to improve people’s awareness of the matter.

Young people participate in voluntary blood donation. Photo: Duy Khanh

Local residents in Thanh Tri District join voluntary blood donation. Photo: Duy Khanh