Honoring noble deeds

(Baonghean) - Voluntary blood donation is one of the outstanding humanitarian activities with profound humanistic significance in our province in recent times. On the occasion of the World Blood Donor Day (June 14), Nghe An Newspaper had an interview with Ms. Nguyen Luong Hong, President of the Red Cross Society, Deputy Head of the Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation in Nghe An province about this movement.

Honoring outstanding voluntary blood donors.

PV:Could you please tell us the purpose and meaning of World Blood Donor Day?

Ms. Nguyen Luong Hong: Since 2004, the World Health Organization, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Blood Transfusion Association and the World Association of Blood Donor Organizers have agreed to take June 14 (the birthday of Professor Karl Lendsteiner - Austrian nationality, who discovered the ABO blood group in 1990, won the Nobel Prize in Medicine, bringing an important step forward in the history of blood transfusion) as World Blood Donor Day.

The purpose of World Blood Donor Day is for countries and communities to recognize and organize events to honor the noble cause of blood donors. This is also an opportunity to create a strong and widespread influence on the voluntary blood donation movement in the community, to encourage more and more people to voluntarily donate blood and donate blood again, to build a widespread and sustainable blood donation movement, to ensure the basic need for blood for emergency and treatment in hospitals as well as when natural disasters and war occur.

As part of the activities to celebrate World Blood Donor Day this year, Nghe An was honored to have two individuals honored by the National Voluntary Blood Donation Mobilization Committee as outstanding blood donors in the country. They are Mr. Nguyen Van Lap, a specialist of Nghe An Province Social Insurance, who donated blood 24 times, and Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Anh, Head of the Thanh Vinh Living Blood Club, who donated blood 14 times and platelets 14 times.

PV:Could you please tell us about the outstanding results of the voluntary blood donation movement in the province in recent times?

Ms. Nguyen Luong Hong: In recent years, with the strong direction of the Provincial People's Committee, the Provincial Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation, the support of Party committees, authorities, departments, branches, organizations, agencies, units, especially the awareness and self-awareness of the people, the voluntary blood donation movement of Nghe An province has made remarkable progress. The Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation at all levels has been regularly consolidated, improved, and operated in an orderly and effective manner. Up to now, 20/21 districts, cities, and towns have established a District-level Steering Committee for Blood Donation headed by the Vice Chairman of the District, City, and Town People's Committee, with the Red Cross Society as the standing agency. Some units have established Steering Committees at the ward and commune levels. The Blood Donation Steering Committee from the province to the grassroots level has paid attention to and coordinated well the organization of voluntary blood donation communication activities associated with the organization of conferences, seminars, mobile blood donation sessions in the province and city and integrated with other programs. Before the blood donation sessions, cultural and artistic exchanges were organized, combined with thematic talks on the purpose, meaning and answering questions and concerns of voluntary blood donors.

The propaganda and mobilization work on voluntary blood donation has been well implemented, which is also one of the main reasons for the success of voluntary blood donation. The blood donation movement has received attention from all levels and sectors, and has been actively responded to by all classes of people. Many campaigns and events have been organized on a large scale, creating good effects and attracting many participants, typically the Voluntary Blood Donation Campaign during Tet, the Red Spring Festival, Red Blood Drops, Red Sunday, National Voluntary Blood Donation Day, etc.

In 2014, 19,397 units of blood were received, reaching 121.2% of the plan; in the first 5 months of 2015, the whole province received 7,760 units of blood. The voluntary blood donation club models have been maintained and organized to operate effectively. Currently, the whole province has 6 voluntary blood donation clubs with 997 members at universities and colleges in the area. Notably, the activities of the "Thanh Vinh Live Blood Bank" Club under the Nghe An Provincial Red Cross Society with 20 propagandists and 250 volunteers, this force is regularly present, ready to donate blood to patients in emergency situations.

PV:To promote the voluntary blood donation movement in the coming time, what directions and solutions does the Provincial Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation have, Madam?

Ms. Nguyen Luong Hong: In order for the humanitarian blood donation movement to develop extensively, sustainably and towards the goal of universal blood donation, in the coming time, the Steering Committee will actively coordinate with all levels and sectors to strengthen propaganda and mobilize voluntary blood donation in many forms to raise awareness of voluntary blood donation for cadres, civil servants, public employees, youth union members, members, and people of all walks of life in the province; build organized blood collection points; Receive, screen, manage, and use blood sources in accordance with State regulations in a safe, economical, and effective manner. Replicating the model of Blood Donation Clubs and Live Blood Bank Clubs, RH (-) rare blood group clubs in Youth Union, Association, and school organizations to increase the number of volunteers for live blood banks to ensure proactive blood sources in urgent situations; expand the subjects participating in blood donation to villages, hamlets, wards, and communes in the whole province; Organize training to improve skills in propaganda, mobilization, and blood donor care for volunteers at schools, agencies, and units.

Continue to promote mobile blood collection, set up fixed blood collection points at hospitals to facilitate the movement of blood donors. In addition, the Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation at all levels also needs to do a good job of promptly rewarding and honoring groups and individuals with outstanding achievements in blood donation and blood donation mobilization, thereby promoting the humanitarian blood donation movement to develop further in the coming time.

PV:Thank you for this conversation!

Khanh Ly

(Perform)