Residents donate blood in Jinhua City, east China's Zhejiang Province, June 14, 2024. /CFP
In 2023, China recorded a historic surge in voluntary blood donations, with 16.99 million donations, a 5.9 percent increase from the previous year, according to China's National Health Commission (NHC) data.
The NHC reported that the total blood volume of voluntary donations over the past year expanded by 4.8 percent and also hit a new high.
The NHC said the two indicators have continued to surge for more than 20 years.
The statistics were made public at a national event held in Jinan, the capital of east China's Shandong Province, on Friday to mark World Blood Donor Day.
Residents donate blood in Anshun City, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 14, 2024. /CFP
The NHC said that in recent years, local authorities have taken measures to optimize the voluntary blood donation service and ensure the safe supply of blood for clinical use.
Voluntary blood donations are the primary source of clinical blood use in China. According to a report by the World Health Organization, China ranks among the top globally in terms of voluntary blood donation numbers, blood quality and safety levels, and the standard for clinical blood use.
As stipulated in China's Blood Donation Law, which took effect in 1998, healthy citizens aged 18 to 55 are encouraged to donate blood voluntarily.