HCMC – The Can Tho Blood Transfusion Hematology Hospital in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho has called on residents and State employees to donate blood to save lives as the delta is facing a shortage of blood for emergencies.
The Can Tho Blood Transfusion Hematology Hospital is the blood bank of the delta. It is in charge of receiving, producing, preserving and distributing blood to over 50 hospitals in the region. If the blood shortage lasts long, the lives of patients could be affected.
Nguyen Xuan Viet, director of the hospital, told Lao Dong newspaper that the undersupply of blood has occurred since May this year when the fourth coronavirus wave began. Most of the localities in the region canceled blood drives that they had registered with the hospital, as the impact of the Covid-19 resurgence has affected blood donation activities and discouraged local residents to donate blood, resulting in the shortfall.
The demand for blood to serve emergency treatment and to treat patients, especially those with hematologic diseases such as blood cancer and blood clotting disorders, remains high. The blood supply is also needed to handle people suffering from gastrointestinal bleeding, postpartum hemorrhage, or multiple injuries caused by traffic accidents.
The blood reserve at the hospital had over 4,000 blood units before. However, at present, the hospital has a mere 1,000 blood units to treat patients. Thus, the blood shortage has significantly affected treatment, he added.
To cope with the blood undersupply, the hospital has called on other hospitals in the region to encourage local competent forces in areas free of Covid-19 or armed forces to join blood drives. The hospital has arranged mobile blood donation cars at the hospital entrance on weekdays.
