Voluntary Blood Donation Clubs: Sharing “Pink Drops”

– In recent years, many models of voluntary blood donation clubs and live blood bank clubs in the province have operated effectively, contributing to timely helping patients maintain their health. Volunteers in the clubs are both the core force in blood donation campaigns organized by the units and are ready to respond and participate in unexpected blood donation to save lives in emergency situations.

Currently, in the province, there are eleven clubs, including nine blood donation clubs in districts, the city, vocational schools in the province and two live blood bank clubs at the Provincial General Hospital and Binh Gia District Health Center, with a total of over 600 members. In 2021 and the first three months of 2022, the club’s members have unexpectedly donated more than 200 blood units. Not only that, when there is a blood donation festival organized by the locality or unit, 100% of the members of the clubs participate in blood donation and mobilize and propagate about blood donation, support blood collection at the blood donation festival, taking care of blood donors.

Members of the Voluntary Blood Donation Club of Lang Son Medical College participated in supporting blood donation, measuring the blood donors’ temperature before signing up to donate blood.

One of the most typical and effective live blood bank clubs is the live blood bank club of the Provincial General Hospital. The club was established in 2015, the first established club in the province. From 40 members, up to now, the club has attracted more than 100 members who are officials and staff working at the hospital and a few are officers, civil servants and public employees of departments, agencies, unions, administrative units of the province and the city. Since its establishment, club members have always promptly donated blood to save lives.

For example, at the beginning of March 2022, at the Provincial General Hospital, a patient V.G.H (15 years old living in Dong Kinh ward, Lang Son city) was received at the Provincial General Hospital in a state of blood group O deficiency due to congenital hemolytic disease. Receiving information from the Board of chairmen of the live blood bank Club under the Provincial General Hospital, Ms. Luong Bich Thuy, an officer of the Faculty of Pharmacy, the Provincial General Hospital volunteered to donate blood unexpectedly, helping the patient get over the critical crisis.

Ms. Be Thi Thu Trang, Vice Chairman of the live blood bank Club under the Provincial General Hospital said that whenever the hospital’s blood reserve is scarce and critically ill patients urgently need blood for emergency transfusion, after mobilizing, the Club members are always ready to volunteer to donate blood to save lives. In 2021 and the first three months of 2022 alone, the club has had over 70 members volunteering to directly donate blood unexpectedly to emergency patients being treated at the hospital.

Or as for the Voluntary Blood Donation Club of Lang Son city, although it was just established in early 2022 with 90 members, there have initially been positive signs in the process of operation. Specifically, for more than three months of operation, the club has had five volunteers directly donating blood unexpectedly at provincial hospitals. Along with that, the members have also actively propagated and mobilized relatives, friends, and colleagues to register for blood donation and voluntarily donate blood at blood donation festivals organized by the province and the city.

Members of the Voluntary Blood Donation Club of Lang Son Medical College participated in voluntary blood donation at the Red Journey in 2021

Evaluating the effectiveness of voluntary blood donation and live blood bank clubs in the province, Ms. Nong Bich Thuan, Chairwoman of the Provincial Red Cross Association said that over the past time, voluntary blood donation and live blood bank clubs have not only increased in number and number of members, but also they have worked actively, effectively and promptly donates blood units to help save the lives of many patients. Not only participating in unexpected blood donation, the members of the clubs are also active volunteers in propaganda and mobilizing friends, colleagues and relatives to participate in voluntary blood donation. Thereby, it has contributed to overcoming the shortage of blood sources at hospitals in the province. In the upcoming time, the Provincial Red Cross Association will request and encourage the replication of the model of voluntary blood donation and live blood bank clubs, focusing on replicating the model in some areas such as Dinh Lap, Cao Loc, and Van Lang districts. At the same time, the association will encourage units and organizations to establish rare blood group clubs in order to have a rare blood source to promptly donate to patients; encourage each club member to be a “mobile” blood bank to donate blood in a timely and unexpected manner to patients.

Currently, there is always a constant demand for blood in treatment and emergency in the province. In order to maintain and further improve the quality of activities and develop more voluntary blood donation clubs, live blood bank clubs, together with the attention of Red Cross associations, levels and sectors in the province, it is necessary to focus on implementing the voluntary blood donation movement and have mechanisms and create favorable conditions for the establishment of voluntary blood donation clubs and live blood bank clubs at agencies, units and localities.