Drops of blood for the community

For many years, Ca Mau province has faced a shortage of blood for medical treatment, with the current blood supply only meeting about 15% of the demand for emergency and treatment purposes. The Laboratory Department of Ca Mau General Hospital, which receives blood from the Hematology and Blood Transfusion Hospital in Can Tho City and distributes it to treatment units in the province, while also ensuring blood supply at the provincial level, is facing many difficulties in meeting this demand.

• Multiply the "drops of pink"
• 13 times organizing voluntary blood donation drives.
• Ca Mau General Hospital organizes voluntary blood donation.

Contributing to the community through blood donation drives organized in early August has continued to spread the humanitarian message, "Every drop of blood given saves a life."

Since the beginning of the year, more than 11,000 volunteers in Ca Mau province have registered to donate blood, reaching 48.5% of the annual target.

Blood supply only meets 15-20% of the needs for emergency and treatment purposes.

The blood shortage at Ca Mau General Hospital is severe, with only a few units of blood remaining in the reserve. The amount of blood received is currently only sufficient for emergency cases and cannot yet be used for routine treatment. This situation began after the Covid-19 pandemic and has continued to this day.

According to information from the Laboratory Department, depending on the period, the blood supply meets approximately 40-50% of the demand, but currently it is only about 15-20% of the actual need. The main reason is the unstable supply, while the demand for blood transfusions at medical facilities is increasing.

According to Master's degree holder Vo Duy Thanh, Head of the Laboratory Department, Ca Mau province needs approximately 40 units of blood per day, but currently only receives 4-5 units. In the face of blood shortage, the hospital prioritizes blood distribution for emergency and life-threatening cases; non-urgent cases will be rescheduled, delayed, or transferred to other facilities as needed. Despite the difficulties, the hospital ensures a sufficient blood supply for emergency cases, preventing interruptions in patient treatment.

Master's degree holder Vo Duy Thanh shared that the blood bank currently only has a few units of blood types left, reserved for emergency cases.

Currently, the amount of blood received at the Hematology and Blood Transfusion Hospital in Can Tho City, the unit coordinating the voluntary blood donation in Ca Mau, only reaches about 50% of the actual need. This puts many hospitals in the 76 medical facilities in the Mekong Delta region at risk of a serious blood shortage for emergency and treatment purposes.

Voluntary blood donation is a noble act, contributing to the supply of blood products for treatment. Dr. Truong Thi Yen Linh, Deputy Director of Ca Mau General Hospital, said that the hospital has connected with and registered with the Hematology and Blood Transfusion Hospital of Can Tho City to supply blood and blood products.

“To meet Ca Mau’s blood needs, we need to ensure a relatively sufficient supply of donated blood for the unit in Can Tho City to process and distribute. In reality, the province has been regularly and continuously organizing blood donation drives. However, the amount of blood we supply to Can Tho is still not enough. Therefore, a coordinated effort from all levels and sectors, from leaders, the health sector, and the entire community, is needed for effective results,” Dr. Linh suggested.

Donate blood – Give the gift of life.

Waking up early and traveling over 30 km from Dam Doi commune to Tan Thanh ward, Mr. Kim Phuc Dam hopes to share his blood units to help patients in need, while also spreading the meaning of blood donation. As someone with the rare blood type B-, he joined the province's Rare Blood Club to connect members and create an information channel to encourage people to donate blood, especially to support patients with rare blood types.

Having the rare B- blood type, this is the 5th time Kim Phuc Dam (from Dam Doi commune) has participated in voluntary blood donation.

"I was diagnosed with a rare blood type in 2021, and this is my fifth time donating blood. Each time, I appreciate the value of life even more, and it reminds me to take care of my health so I can continue contributing to this meaningful activity," Mr. Dam shared.

"With just a healthy body and a compassionate heart, blood donors will receive much joy in return," shared Ms. Tran Thuy Trang from Tan Thanh ward.

As a housewife, she took advantage of her free mornings to participate in the August "Drop of Gratitude" blood donation program at Ca Mau Provincial General Hospital. After several postponements due to family commitments, her wish to donate 350ml of blood has now come true.

"Hearing that blood reserves are scarce, I wanted to contribute to sharing life with patients. Donating blood brings me joy, because even though I am old, my body is still healthy and I am eligible to contribute a small part to this meaningful activity," Ms. Trang expressed.

Taking advantage of the early morning hours, nurse Quách Văn Việt participated in blood donation before his shift at the Cardiology Department of Cà Mau General Hospital.

Since the beginning of the year, voluntary blood donation activities in Ca Mau province have attracted the participation of more than 11,000 people, resulting in the collection of over 10,100 units of donated blood. Specifically, at the Blood Donation Day held this morning (August 9th) at Ca Mau General Hospital and Hoan My Minh Hai Hospital, 422 units of blood were collected.

Speaking about the reasons for maintaining cooperation with the Can Tho City Hematology and Blood Transfusion Hospital to organize voluntary blood donation programs, Dr. Phan Van Hung, Deputy Director of Professional Affairs at Hoan My Minh Hai Hospital, emphasized: donated blood units are extremely necessary and have vital value in saving patients on the brink of life and death.

“Currently, there is a shortage of blood supply and many difficulties, so donating blood to have a reserve for emergency and treatment purposes is extremely important. Hoan My Minh Hai Hospital is always grateful to those who participate in voluntary blood donation. This is an act that demonstrates compassion, solidarity, and the sharing of life between people,” Dr. Hung shared.

The blood donation schedule for August 2025 has been posted on the Ca Mau Provincial Red Cross's fanpage.

Regularly organized blood donation drives are opportunities to receive the generosity and sharing of the community, contributing to increasing the number and rate of blood donors, creating more blood and blood products to serve in treating patients, and reducing shortages in emergency and treatment situations.

Blood donation has long been a beautiful act of kindness, a humanitarian activity that attracts many people of different ages and professions, but all share a common goal – volunteer events to "donate a drop of blood – give the gift of life."

Trinh Hai    

 

Source: https://baocamau.vn/nhung-giot-hong-vi-cong-dong-a121365.html