HCMC to build second blood bank

The city's legislative body, the People's Council, passed a plan on Tuesday to build the new blood bank in Binh Chanh District from now until 2026.

According to the plan, the new bank will be able to receive and store one million blood units per year until 2050. As currently regulated in Vietnam, one blood unit could be 250 ml, 350 ml, or 450 ml.

The new bank, to be established at the branch of the Blood Transfusion Hematology Hospital in Binh Chanh District, will be the second of its type in the city.

The first and only one, placed at the hospital's main campus in District 5, has sometimes operated at over maximum capacity, a representative from the blood bank said.

According to HCMC authorities, Vietnam had a population of 96 million and received 1.4 million units of blood donations in 2018, with one third of the figure having been donated in the city.

Now the population has risen to more than 100 million, which means the demand for storing blood has increased.

The Blood Transfusion and Hematology Hospital is the leading hospital specialized in blood transfusion and hematology in the southern region.

The hospital receives, preserves, and distribute blood and blood products to treatment facilities across the city and several other southern localities.