48 times donating rare blood to save lives

Mr. Pham Phu My, 44 years old, in Quang Ngai , donated rare AB blood 48 times, is one of 100 outstanding blood donors honored in 2023.

On July 27, at the honoring ceremony held at the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion ( Hanoi ), Mr. My shared: "I hope to have the health to donate blood and platelets for many more years, contributing a small part in saving patients."

AB is a very rare blood type, people with this blood type only account for 6.6% of the Vietnamese population, according to statistics from the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion. AB blood red blood cells have two antigens, A and B, but the plasma does not have antibodies. Therefore, people with AB Rh+ blood type can receive any blood but can only donate to people with the same blood type.

Mr. My will always remember the time he received a phone call from a strange man, his voice urgent, "Help me." A pregnant woman with AB blood was in the emergency room but did not have enough blood to transfuse. Out of more than 200 blood bank members, only 6 had AB blood type, unfortunately they had just donated not long before. Mr. My and his wife, also with AB blood type, donated enough blood to help the mother have a successful cesarean section, the baby was born, and mother and child were healthy.

Mr. Pham Phu My donated blood many times for emergency purposes. Photo: Truong Thinh

Mr. My is one of 60 people who have donated blood 30-49 times, honored this year. Of the 100 honored people, the oldest is 61, the youngest is 22, and they have donated nearly 4,500 units of blood and platelets in total. Many people have donated more blood than Mr. My. There are 20 people who have donated 50-69 times, 8 people who have donated 70-99 times, and two people who have donated 100 times or more.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Ha Thanh, Director of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, said that in many countries, plasma donation is popular. In Vietnam, plasma donation is not as widespread as platelet donation, but it is a trend that the hematology and blood transfusion industry is aiming for.

"Unlike whole blood donation, platelet donation requires higher standards for donors such as weight, platelet count and longer donation time, but in return, you can donate again after only 2-3 weeks," Mr. Thanh shared.

Outstanding blood donors in 2023 were honored on July 27. Photo: Le Nga

In Vietnam, after the Covid-19 pandemic, voluntary blood donation has been stable in both quantity and quality, according to Mr. Thanh. The amount of blood mobilized and received in 2022 is more than 1.43 million units of blood. 99% of blood is from voluntary donors, equivalent to nearly 1.5% of the population participating in blood donation.

In the first months of the year, the whole country received nearly 900,000 units of blood, providing enough for medical facilities.

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