Secretary for Health supports blood donation drives by Hong Kong Red Cross

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, and the Under Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee, showed their unswerving support for the blood donation drive being held by the Hong Kong Red Cross in the Central Government Offices (CGO) today (June 13). They put their support into action and donated blood themselves, and appealed to members of the public to donate blood actively to help patients in need of blood transfusion.

The Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service (BTS) is providing mobile blood donation services in the CGO today and tomorrow, offering convenience for government personnel to donate blood. Professor Lo said that the Government has long lent its full support to blood donation drives. Various government departments organize blood donation drives on a regular basis, with the one at the CGO being a particularly important annual event.

Professor Lo said, "The volume of blood collected by the BTS has been on the low side due to the rainy weather in recent days, putting pressure on the blood inventories. A single unit of whole blood can save as many as three patients. There is no substitute for blood, and the shelf life of blood is limited. Therefore, it is of particular importance for citizens to donate blood voluntarily and benevolently on a regular basis, so that a timely supply of blood of assured safety and quality can be secured for patients in need of rescue.

"It will be the World Blood Donor Day designated by the World Health Organization tomorrow (June 14). Every year on this particular day, appreciation is sent from all over the world to blood donors for their act of selfless giving. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to all donors, who have donated blood with dedication. You are the staunch partners of frontline healthcare teams, playing a vital role in saving lives by helping patients through life-threatening crises. I call on members of the public, enterprises and organizations to actively participate in blood donation drives, thereby giving the hospitals a stable and safe blood supply for clinical transfusion and treatment purposes."

In order to expand the blood collection network, the BTS sets up multiple blood donor centers across the city, and dispatches mobile blood donation teams and blood donation vehicles to various organizations and communities, facilitating blood donation by members of the public. The BTS encourages citizens to make appointments via the "HK Blood" mobile application or the BTS website. They may also call the donor centers in advance to reduce waiting times. For more details, citizens may browse the BTS website (www.ha.org.hk/rcbts).