The seventh Red Journey blood donation campaign will take place in 39 provinces and cities from June 14 to July 27 this year, said a health official.

This year’s campaign will be the longest running edition to date, attracting the participation of most of the country’s localities, said Director of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion Dr. Bach Quoc Khanh, who is also head of the campaign’s organising board.

In the six years it has run, the Red Journey has been held in 46 provinces and cities nationwide, collecting over 170,000 blood units.

This year, particularly during summer holidays, dissemination on voluntary blood donation will be intensified in localities across the nation to reduce the shortage of blood for surgery. 

Activities held within the framework of the campaign will also help raise public awareness of thalassemia.

Last year, Vietnam collected almost 1.34 million blood units, of which 98.3 percent were donated by volunteer donors who currently account for only 1.68 percent of the nation’s population.–VNA