Deputy PM attends Red Sunday festival

Permanent Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh, the Chairman of the National Traffic Safety (first from L) visits blood donators, Ha Noi, January 21, 2018 - Photo: VGP/Le Son

The event is part of the 10th Red Sunday series that are taking place in 31 provinces and cities nationwide from December 15, 2017 to January 31 this year.

The event was jointly organized by Tiền Phong (Vanguard) newspaper, the National Steering Committee on Traffic Safety (NSCTS) and the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusions.

Addressing the event, Permanent Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh, the Chairman of the National Traffic Safety affirmed that the Party and State have always paid a lot of attention to people’s health care activities. Many efforts and resources have been invested in the health care sector. 

The Chairman highly valued and praised the initiative in hosting the event which was expected to bring hopes for thousands of patients nationwide and help them to reunite with their families during the upcoming Lunar New Year festival. 

Over the past 20 years, the blood donation campaign drew the attendance of million of people. Last year, 1.2 million units of bloods were collected, meeting 70% of demand for patients. 

However, the Deputy PM noted that the situation of blood shortages for emergencies and treatment still occurs in Việt Nam during the summer and Tet holidays. The demand for blood is increasing due to the development of new medical techniques that require high amounts of blood, such as tissue transplants, heart and kidney surgeries or treatment of blood diseases, along with the large number of injuries caused by traffic accidents.

The Deputy PM hoped that leaders, managers of organizations, and enterprises would stand ready to share difficulties with patients, especially those who need blood transfusions, by doing things, including practical actions such as organizing or joining in blood donation events like the Red Sunday festival. 

This year, 31 provinces and cities have registered to participate in the event and expect to collect at least 35,000 blood units in order to treat patients during the Lunar new year (Tết) period./.

By Kim Loan