(VNF) - Some 15,000 units of blood are expected to be collected during Red Sunday, a voluntary blood donation festival which will take place on January 25th across 18 provinces and cities.

The information was announced during a press briefing held on January 20th in Hanoi.

Started since 2009 by Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper, the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) and Ministry of Health, the movement aims to deal with a shortage of blood for medical treatment at hospitals during the lunar New Year festival.

According to Dr. Prof. Nguyen Anh Tri, NIHBT President, this year, Red Sunday is an opportunity for tens of thousands of young people to show their humanitarian and voluntary spirit for patients by bringing thousands of units of blood to save them.

The movement is also expected to encourage students and people in Hanoi and across the country to respond to a social activity of great significance, blood donation, making it a regular activity.

Statistics from the NIHBT showed that in 2014, the country received over 1 million units of blood, accounting for 112.6% of the year’s plan. Notably, 96.6% of the blood came from voluntary donors, satisfying 58% of the blood demand for medical treatment. It also indicated that 1.16% of the country’s population participated in blood donation./.

Quynh Anh