The blood bank in Hong Kong has been insufficient for a long time, and the Hong Kong Red Cross has been calling on the public to donate blood day and night.
A survey found that the number of respondents who donated blood during the epidemic dropped by 60%, and 38% of those who had donated blood said that they did not donate blood because of the psychological impact of the epidemic.
The Hong Kong Society for Clinical Blood Management suggested that blood management should also increase income and reduce expenditure. It is recommended to reduce unnecessary blood transfusions and improve blood health. At the same time, it calls on the public to take a step and actively donate blood.
Citizens reduce blood donation during the epidemic.
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Earlier, the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute was commissioned to investigate the blood donation habits of more than 400 citizens under the epidemic.
It was found that both the interviewees and the epidemic affected their willingness to donate blood.
The Society calls on the public to resume the habit of donating blood and donate blood regularly to help the critical blood needs of the Hong Kong medical system.
The Hong Kong Society for Clinical Blood Management held a press conference today (4th) to announce the survey results commissioned by the Hong Kong Institute of Public Opinion.
Sixty-three percent of the respondents had donated blood, and 78% of them were not regular blood donors.
During the first to fourth waves of the epidemic (i.e. from 2020 to 2021), the number of blood donations by former blood donors decreased from an average of 1 blood donation per year before the epidemic to 0.4.
Since the fifth wave of the epidemic, 87% of those who had donated blood did not donate blood during the period from January to April this year.
According to the survey, 38% of the respondents who had donated blood had reduced their willingness to donate blood due to the epidemic. Among them, 71% were afraid of being infected by foreigners, 68% were not in the mood to donate blood due to the epidemic, and 63% had not donated blood for a long time during the epidemic, and had lost the habit of donating blood.
Dr. Cheng Hongjia, former chairman of the Hong Kong Society of Clinical Blood Management, said that among young people aged 15 to 24, the number of blood donations dropped to only 29% in the previous year.
The number of blood donations is small, but the demand for blood donation is increasing
Dr. Zhou Yufa, former chairman of the Hong Kong Society of Clinical Blood Management, called on the public to resume the habit of donating blood. Under the new crown epidemic, regular and emergency blood transfusion services have never been interrupted. In addition, the aging population has greatly increased the demand for blood.
Citing data from the Red Cross, he pointed out that in 2021, the patient groups with the highest blood volume are internal medicine and geriatrics, accounting for 52% of the total.
It is twice as high as 23% in surgery.
The Hong Kong Society for Clinical Blood Management calls on the public to resume the habit of donating blood and donate blood regularly to help the critical blood needs of the Hong Kong medical system.
(Photo by Leung Jinying)
Different components of blood are difficult to preserve, there is no artificial blood in Hong Kong
Dr. Ho Pik-yi, a member of the Hong Kong Society of Clinical Hematology, pointed out that there are different components in blood, such as red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
Can be used for different types of patients.
However, the shelf life of different blood components is different, so the blood "lifespan" is very short and the shelf life is very short.
The demand for blood donation is actually very high.
She also pointed out that the survey found that many people thought that there was "artificial blood" in Hong Kong. She clarified that "artificial blood" is still in the research and development stage, so there is absolutely no substitute for it, and it is completely dependent on blood donors in Hong Kong.
Dr. Ho Pik Yee, a member of the Hong Kong Society of Clinical Hematology, pointed out that different blood components have different storage periods, so blood donation is very important.
(Photo by Liang Jinying)
Blood needs to be sourced and reduced: reduce unnecessary blood transfusions and improve health
Dr. Zhou suggested to do a good job in patient blood management to solve the problem of insufficient blood bank, and proposed three strategies, including increasing the patient's own hemoglobin, reducing blood loss during surgery and improving anemia.
The patient's own hemoglobin refers to the patient's own health habits.
Dr. Chow pointed out that, of course, patients can be given iron pills, but if patients can improve their health by adopting a balanced diet and exercise, the chance of anemia will be reduced, and blood transfusions can be reduced.
Reducing blood loss during surgery refers to the use of effective medical resources or techniques to reduce the chance of blood loss in some operations, thereby reducing the chance of blood transfusion.
Current methods in Hong Kong include minimally invasive surgery with less blood loss.
As for the improvement of anemia, take thalassemia patients as an example. Among the patients with thalassemia major, because they cannot produce enough hemoglobin, they need regular blood transfusion and drug treatment for life (regular blood transfusion every 4 weeks and regular iron removal). Medicine Introduced in the world this year, the treatment of thalassemia is a prescription drug that promotes the growth of red blood cells, thereby reducing the amount of blood transfusions.
Dr. Zhou said, "In a nutshell, to effectively manage blood, it means: improving the health of the public, as well as the effect of medical treatment." He also repeated three times that this sentence is very important.
Dr. Zhou Yufa (left), former chairman of the Hong Kong Society of Clinical Hematology, pointed out that the epidemic and the aging population have increased the demand for blood.
(Photo by Leung Jinying)
Society calls on citizens to donate more blood to stay healthy
Dr. Cheng Hongjia said that the Society will continue to do more work to encourage citizens to donate blood, and will also cooperate with the Red Cross to do more activities to encourage citizens to donate blood.
He also encouraged commercial organizations or groups to propose cooperation with the Red Cross on their own, to hold a blood donation day or to make an appointment for a mobile blood donation vehicle.
Dr. Zhou pointed out that "no mood" to donate blood is a difficult problem to solve, but he appealed to the public to take the first step and go to donate blood.
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