Also, from January 1 to March 31, a blood donation campaign is being carried out in 10 cities and provinces, aimed at collecting an additional 12,000 units.

In 2009, the country collected 632,902 units of blood, an increase of 12 percent compared to 2008 and passing its goal of 4 percent. It’s expected to save 682,440 units of blood nationwide by the end of this year.

Blood donation has been expanded to many social sections, from students to officials, businesses and the armed forces, said Mr. Tang. However, the number of volunteers donating blood is still very low, only reaching 20-30 percent, even 0 percent in some hospitals.

The country’s capacity to preserve blood remains limited and this has an influence on blood collection. The amount of donated blood only meets about 40 percent of demands.