Donating blood regularly, quietly saving patients’ lives

In Dong Nai City, many people have donated blood dozens of times while also actively encouraging their relatives, friends, and colleagues to participate.

Thanks to this compassionate spirit and the fixed blood donation site at Dong Nai General Hospital, blood reserves for patients have improved, helping establish a pool of regular donors, supplement the blood supply for emergency care and treatment, and give patients another chance at life.

Those committed to donating blood to save lives

For the past four years, Pham Thi Ly, a resident of Dong Nai City’s Tran Bien Ward, has remained committed to voluntary blood donation. Every three months, Ly regularly donates blood together with several dozen members of her group. Her repeated donations have turned her desire to help patients into a commitment she has sustained for years. For Ly, knowing that her blood can help someone overcome a critical condition is meaningful enough.

Every three months, Ly donates blood to help replenish supplies at medical facilities and support life-saving treatment. Photo: Bich Nhan

Tran Quang Minh, 51, from Dong Nai City’s Tam Hiep Ward, began his voluntary blood donation journey 13 years ago. Minh recalled: “Once, while I was visiting a friend’s father who was critically ill with end-stage gastrointestinal cancer and required constant blood transfusions at Cho Ray Hospital, the doctors and nurses encouraged the family to donate blood. I volunteered to donate blood for my friend’s father, and that marked the beginning of my own journey of donating blood to save lives.”

Many people have sustained their commitment to blood donation for years, guided by the belief that “a drop of blood given, a life saved.” Photo: Bich Nhan

Minh’s blood donation journey was interrupted for a time because of his busy work schedule and the limited number of voluntary blood donation sites available at the time. Even so, he always hoped for an opportunity to continue donating blood to save lives.

“Heaven does not let down those who try. One day, on my way to work, I happened to see a team of doctors and nurses from the Blood Transfusion Center of Cho Ray Hospital organizing a voluntary blood donation drive. Not wanting to miss the opportunity, I immediately pulled over to register and texted my company’s management to ask for permission to come to work a few hours late,” said Minh.

Since then, Minh has donated blood 40 times, averaging three to four donations per year. Whenever a voluntary blood donation drive is held, he proactively arranges his work to participate, especially during periods of blood shortages such as the Covid-19 pandemic, summer holidays, and Tet.

With more than 20 years of dedication to voluntary blood donation advocacy, Nguyen Thi Minh, a volunteer in Dong Nai’s Tran Bien Ward, said that when she was active with the Red Cross Societies of Binh Da and An Binh wards before the wards merged, she mobilized several hundred people to participate in each drive. What was notable is that many small groups gradually formed from those initial donors. Each member, in turn, invited relatives, friends and colleagues to join them, expanding the donor network. Many have remained committed for years, donating dozens of times.

Hoang An and his wife, who rent a home in Tran Bien Ward, are one such case. An said, “In early November, I will donate blood at the fixed donation site at Dong Nai General Hospital in Tam Hiep Ward, Dong Nai City, as scheduled.” With that donation, An will have donated blood 19 times since 2016.

An said, “Previously, I would follow notifications about mobile blood donation drives organized by the Blood Transfusion Center of Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City so that I could arrange my work and donate regularly. Whenever I heard there was a blood shortage, I would go to donate, hoping that my contribution could help those in need and give patients a better chance of receiving treatment.”

Maintaining blood supply for patients alongside loved ones

Hoang An has not only remained persistent in this activity but has also encouraged his wife to join him. As a result, every three to four months, the couple donates blood together to save lives. An said, “For more than a year, the fixed blood donation site at Dong Nai General Hospital has helped us take greater initiative; we can go together without affecting our working hours at the company.”

More than 5,500 units of blood received in one year of operation

According to information from Dong Nai General Hospital, from late August 2025 to date, the fixed blood donation site has received more than 5,500 units of blood, exceeding the 2026 target by more than 10%. The collection schedule has been expanded from three days to five days per week, from Monday to Friday, as well as two Sundays each month. The site has gradually become a familiar destination, attracting many people to return for regular donations and helping maintain the blood supply for emergency care and treatment.

Similarly, Tran Quang Minh, 51, a resident of Tam Hiep Ward, also encouraged his daughter, currently a fourth-year student at Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, to donate blood. To date, she has participated five times.

“Since I decided to donate blood regularly, I immediately made a plan to maintain my health, including exercising daily, eating healthily, not smoking, not consuming alcohol or beer, and undergoing regular health checkups twice a year. I believe this is how I can remain committed to blood donation in the long term and contribute more blood for patient treatment,” said Minh.

The fixed blood donation site at Dong Nai General Hospital regularly receives blood donations from the public. Photo: Bich Nhan

According to Dr. Le Van Thong Nhat, Head of the Hematology and Blood Transfusion Department at Dong Nai General Hospital, during the collection process, doctors and nurses often see many familiar faces from previous drives. Many individuals have donated blood dozens of times. This action is even more meaningful during periods when hospitals face blood shortages, such as during Tet, summer holidays, or the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Thanks to the blood donated by volunteers, many patients have overcome critical conditions after receiving timely transfusions. In reality, we also received feedback that many people wanted to donate blood to save lives but found it difficult to participate because mobile donation schedules coincided with their working hours. Therefore, we established a fixed blood donation site and gradually expanded its operating hours so that people could conveniently arrange their schedules and maintain regular donations,” said Dr. Nhat.

Dr. Nhat stated that for more than a year, Dong Nai General Hospital has not experienced a shortage of blood reserves for patient transfusions, thanks to maintaining a regular pool of volunteer blood donors at the fixed donation site.

Specialist Level II Doctor Nguyen Van Binh, Deputy Director of the Dong Nai Department of Health, emphasized that in the coming period, demand for blood and blood products for emergency care, treatment, and the implementation of specialized techniques is expected to continue increasing. The Department of Health requests that the hospital ensure the safety of professional procedures and improve procedures and reception times to make it convenient for the public to participate.

At the same time, the department called for stronger communication and advocacy to encourage regular and repeat blood donations, gradually establish a stable donor base, and coordinate closely with the Blood Transfusion Center of Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City and the Red Cross, with a focus on expressing appreciation to encourage people to remain committed over the long term.

By Bich Nhan – Translated by Minh Hong, Minho