Seventeenth Red Sunday launched

The program with the message of “Donating blood to save people - Your life and my life” is organized by Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper in collaboration with the National Steering Committee on Traffic Safety and the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT), chapters of the Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation and Youth Union Organization in cities and provinces nationwide, and other units and organizations.

Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan inquires after blood donors at the 17th Red Sunday.

Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan emphasized that since 1994 when the first edition was launched, the units of blood donated have increased year-on-year. Attentively, since 2014, the program has collected over 1 million blood units per year. This year, over 1.6 million blood units are expected to be collected, over 11.6-fold against those in 1994 when 138,000 blood units were collected.

Cherishing each unit of blood

The health official attributed the above outcomes to the successful organization of many big voluntary blood donation campaigns, events, and programs, including the Red Sunday program.

Deputy Minister Thuan said that the demand for blood transfusion is on the rise due to higher needs in health care, such as organ transplants, stem cell transplants, and emergency aid to victims of traffic and occupational accidents. Thus, he called on agencies, units, and people to actively disseminate information about blood donation and engage themselves in the program to help build a healthier and more humane society.

Many people join the blood donation program despite the cold weather.

According to journalist Phung Cong Suong, Editor-in-Chief of Tien Phong newspaper, youth is the key force to make voluntary blood donation movements like the Red Sunday stronger.

Translated by Mai Huong