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Wednesday, May 14, 2025
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Shortfall in Blood Donations Prompts New Push in Schools for 2025

This Week

The Lao Red Cross is ramping up efforts to strengthen partnerships with schools and expand youth engagement in blood donation, following a shortfall in its 2024 collection targets. 

On 12 May, the National Blood Transfusion Center, in cooperation with private secondary schools, held its annual meeting in Vientiane to review the results of the past year’s voluntary blood donation campaign and outline more ambitious goals for 2025.

Chanthala Soukhsakhone, Head of the National Blood Transfusion Center, reported that 71,297 bags of blood were collected in 2024, falling short of the national target of 78,000. Vientiane’s secondary schools were expected to contribute 4,676 bags, but only 1,966 were collected, a shortfall of over 42 percent.

Despite this gap, officials emphasized the importance of ongoing collaboration with educational institutions to foster a culture of voluntary blood donation among youth.

Key challenges in reaching the 2024 target included a limited donor pool, economic instability, adverse weather conditions, and persistent misconceptions about blood donation. Chanthala noted that the primary target group, teenagers aged 17 and older, is relatively small, and many college students are not interested in donating.

Looking ahead, the National Assembly has approved an increased target of 80,400 blood bags for 2025. 

Of this, 34,400 bags are expected to come from central-level organizations in Vientiane Capital, with provincial centers responsible for collecting the remaining 46,000.

The meeting also provided a platform for stakeholders to share experiences, address challenges, and strengthen cooperation between the health and education sectors to ensure a more stable national blood supply in the year ahead.

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