CIHBT facing severe blood shortage amid pandemic

Hanoi (VNS/VNA) – The Central Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (CIHBT)
has announced it is facing a severe shortage of blood and urged people to
donate blood to maintain supply amid the fourth wave of COVID-19.

Deputy
director of the institute Pham Tuan Duong said due to the re-emergence of the
pandemic, many blood donors did not come to give blood after
registering, leading to a sharp decrease in blood reserves.

Many
entities have postponed or cancelled blood donation drives, even in localities
without reported COVID-19 cases. 

As
a result, the blood reserves at the institute and many blood centres have
decreased sharply, especially in the northern region where many localities are
the hotspot of the pandemic.

In
the institute alone, between April 27 and May 11, the amount of blood received
was only 30 percent of the goal.

As
many as 47 blood donation schedules with the expected reception of 25,000 blood
units were postponed or cancelled. 

The
is the unit responsible
for supplying blood to 27 provinces and cities in the north home to 40
million people.

In
the first 12 days of this month, the institute received only 2,920 blood
units but provided 4,822 blood units. On average, the institute still
needs up to 1,000 units of blood and nearly 200 units of platelets per day.

In
the southern region, the same situation has occurred at Ho Chi Minh City’s
Blood Transfusion and Hematology Hospital. So far, 23 blood donation schedules
with the equivalent of 4,200 units of blood have been cancelled. The amount of
blood received in the first half of this month was only 50 percent of the plan.

To
deal with the situation, Duong has urged localities to maintain their
blood donation plans and strengthen blood donation schedules in localities with
no reported COVID-19 cases. Blood donation must comply with the Ministry of
Health’s regulations on pandemic prevention and control. 

The
institute also suggested hospitals temporarily delay planned surgery to save
emergency and encourage patients’ family members in medical
facilities that are under lockdown to participate in blood donation./.