The Red Journey Campaign is estimated to collect at least 20,000 units of blood helping patients in summer vocation, said Nguyen Anh Tri, director of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion at press brief about the Red Journey Campaign2016 on July 10 in Hanoi.

It is a major campaign to surmount severe shortage of blood in summer vacation when students return their fatherland.

The campaign planned to encourage more people to donate their blood voluntarily. As scheduled, the Red Journey will travel through 27 cities and provinces across the country. Since July 1, the southern team started from Phu Quoc Island in the Mekong delta province of Kien Giang to reach 27 cities and provinces.

Meanwhile the northern team started on July 10 from Hanoi to go through 12 cities and provinces. The two teams will meet in the northern central province of Thanh Hoa and then organize a series of events including blood donation festival “ Giot hong tri an” (Pink Drops of Appreciation ) on July 31.

Director Nguyen Anh Tri said that blood transfusion increases along with medical progress. Accordingly, the World Health Organization said that blood usage is one of three criteria to assess a country’s medical growth or a hospital’s development.

At present, Bach Mai hospital in Hanoi needs 50,000 – 60,000 units of blood annually for treatment demand.

Source: SGGP