Blood donation event held at Lao – ITECC Shopping Center on May 8, 2026. (Lao News Agency)
To commemorate the 163rd anniversary of World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, a blood donation initiative was held by the National Blood Institute of the Lao Red Cross in the Vientiane capital on May 6.
Adopting the slogan “Keeping Humanity Alive – Working Together for Humanity”, the event intends to inspire society to sign up for a blood donation, in order to save lives.
Held at Lao – ITECC Shopping Center, the blood donation event was attended by students and youth volunteers, with no less than 200 donours engaged in the donation. Through this initiative, the blood supply will be available for patients who require urgent transfusions, including those undergoing surgery, victims of road accidents and patients with chronic blood disorders or cancer.
According to Mr. Khamchan, chair of the event, every drop of donated blood carries significant value and has the potential to save lives. He also explained that all collected blood is carefully tested and screened in laboratories for blood-borne diseases before being supplied to hospitals for medical use.
Lao government funding and support from international partner organisations help the National Blood Institute to maintain nationwide blood transfusion services. A revolving service fee of 70,000 Laotian kip (3.19 US dollar) per blood bag is also required to cover processing, testing and equipment costs and to ensure a stable blood supply.
The first observance of what was then called International Red Cross Day took place on May 8, 1948. The name of the commemoration later evolved and was officially changed to World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day in 1984. Today, the commemoration is celebrated in many parts of the world.
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