China to Promote Donation Work for Blood Safety

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, December 14, 2001

China to Promote Donation Work for Blood Safety

More Chinese citizens should become blood donors so that the risk of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis epidemics through blood transfusion can be lowered in China, according to the country's legislators and leading health officials.

China's HIV/AIDS situation has reached a critical point, and transfusion of contaminated blood is especially dangerous. The figure of HIV infection cases in China is estimated to stand between 600,000 and 800,000, about six percent of which were caused by contaminated blood, the Ministry of Health revealed in August this year.

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China's HIV/AIDS situation has reached a critical point

China's HIV/AIDS situation has reached a critical point, and transfusion of contaminated blood is especially dangerous, said Peng Peiyun, vice chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

AIDS spread can be controlled by donating blood

"However, the spread of AIDS through blood can be controlled if the blood for clinical use comes solely from donations," said Peng, who is also the president of the Red Cross Society of China, at a meeting Thursday in Guangzhou to cite more than 1,000 outstanding individuals and units in the national blood donation drive.

6% of HIV infectors caused by contaminated blood

The figure of HIV infection cases in China is estimated to stand between 600,000 and 800,000, about six percent of which were caused by contaminated blood, the Ministry of Health revealed in August this year.

The safety of blood transfusion can be remarkably increased when the blood comes from approved donors. But the work to promote blood donation was less inspirational in China before 1998, though the campaign was launched in the 1980s.

"Donating blood might be harmful to health"

The suggestion that donating blood might be harmful to health was often used by many people as an excuse for refusing to donate, health officials complained. Those who were organized by work units to "donate" blood could often get cash and time off work as a kind of compensation.

"Such practices not only go against humanitarian principles, but also force hospitals to depend on commercial blood deals, which potentially endanger the safety of blood," said Peng, who has long supported the cause of blood donation as an influential lawmaker.

Blood donation greatly promoted

Law on blood donation passed

The NPC Standing Committee passed a law on blood donation in 1998 and the work of blood donation has since been greatly promoted, said Health Minister Zhang Wenkang.

Local regulations passed to ensure implementation of the law

Twenty-six provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions have passed local regulations to ensure the implementation of the law, and many government officials took the lead in blood donation, he said. A survey in 25 provinces showed that about 45 percent of the blood for clinical use now is provided by donors. In 75 major cities such as Shenzhen, Harbin and Taiyuan, the blood used in hospitals was 100 percent donated.

"More than three years ago, the portion of donated blood was almost zero," said Jia Guanjun, director of Harbin Red Cross Blood Center. Zhang Wenkang attributed the rapid changes to successful law enforcement, widespread education, and model roles played by government employees, soldiers and college students. "Huge enthusiasm can be stirred among the public once they understand the meaning of blood donation. We have had many good examples of this," he said.

Upgrade facilities and improve service

In order to ensure the quality of blood donation, the Chinese government allocated 1.25 billion yuan (about 150 million U.S. dollars) this year to upgrade facilities and improve service in blood centers and stations across the country. All workers of blood centers will receive training programs starting next year, according to Yi Mei, an MOH official in charge of blood safety management.

Editor's note: Blood donors stretch their arms with veins standing out, winding like the ancient Yellow River. Blood is drawn from a vein, and joins the River of Love. In blood donation centers, one can feel an atmosphere of humanity, fraternity, and contribution. Here, the innate knowledge buried deeply under the skin is awakening. People donate their love as well as their blood. Blood donation is not only for saving people's lives but also for mankind's pursuit of the true, the kind, and the beautiful, the pursuit of a better social and living environment, and the eternal pursuit of a rich inner life.

Chinese Vice-President Hu Jintao donates blood voluntarily

In 1978, the State Council of China promulgated Document No. 242 to implement a system of voluntary blood donation by encouraging blood donors and giving them a small sum of money for nutritional replenishment. In 1984, the Chinese government encouraged the people to donate blood voluntarily and asked governments at all levels to provide favorable conditions for the transition from compensated blood donation to voluntary donation. In 1987, the Ministry of Public Health and the Red Cross Society of China issued the Methods of Rewarding Voluntary Blood Donors, thus raising the number of voluntary donations.

On December 29, 1997, the 29th Plenary Session of the Eighth National People's Congress passed the Law of the People's Republic of China on Blood Donation, implementing the system of voluntary blood donation. The law was put into practice on October 1, 1998, regulating the collection of voluntary donations.

Over the last few years, dramatic progress has been made in voluntary blood donation thanks to the support from and cooperation between governmental departments at all levels. Many individuals, units, and cities have been cited by the government for their accomplishments in encouraging voluntary blood donations or, in the case of individuals, donating their own blood.

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