Number of young blood donors in Singapore declining

The number of blood donors aged 16 to 25 has been declining in Singapore, in a worrying trend.

Their numbers have fallen by 36 per cent in the past decade, from 21,793 in 2011 to 13,967 last year. They now make up about 20 per cent of the donor pool, down from about 33 per cent 10 years ago.

This was flagged by the Singapore Red Cross (SRC). Highlighting the seriousness of the situation, the SRC told The Straits Times earlier this week that about 600 donors stop donating each year owing to age or illness.

Donations have declined more significantly recently due to the pandemic, it said. For instance, last year, during the two heightened alert phases with stricter curbs, and the Omicron wave, 69 mobile blood drives were cancelled, including those in tertiary institutions.

"Community blood drives bring convenience and have their own loyal following of donors; they are also an important platform to attract first-time donors," said SRC chief executive Benjamin William.

While the overall proportion of donors has remained constant in the last decade, at around 1.8 per cent of the population, the demand for blood transfusion increases every year.

The SRC cited misconceptions that may lead potential donors to be hesitant about giving blood, such as that one can catch diseases from doing so, not having enough blood left in the body, and blood withdrawal being painful.

Ms Ng Hiau Chin, 20, went through treatment for cancer in 2017 and needed many blood transfusions. It made her realise how critical blood donations are.

Currently a second-year veterinary science student at Temasek Polytechnic, she recalled her experience in hospital, saying: "Almost every child around me had at least one transfusion, so it was essential in saving all our lives."

Ms Ng, whose cancer has been in remission since March 2018, was diagnosed with stage three childhood Burkitt lymphoma in 2017, when she was in secondary school. Chemotherapy is the main treatment for lymphoma, a cancer that forms in the lymph nodes.

During her three months of treatment, she had to go through many chemotherapy sessions and five operations. She estimated that she received about one litre of blood every week.

Each year, about 30,000 Singapore residents require blood transfusions, Mr William noted. He said: "Blood donation should be part of the national psyche as it is everyone's social responsibility."

Singapore Kindness Movement secretary-general William Wan said donating blood should be second nature to everyone. "Medical science may have advanced over the years, but a constant supply of healthy blood is still needed to keep the system running."

Mr Ryan Koh, 23, a Singapore Armed Forces regular, has donated blood five times since 2018. He started doing so as his friends were donating blood and now sees it as a "way of life".

Noting how each donation, according to SRC, can save three lives, Mr Koh said: "When you know how important your donation is, you would want to do more to help, especially when blood stocks are low."

He believes there is no better time to donate than when one is young and healthy, and urges youth to do their part. "It is a painless process and when you have done it, it always feels like you have conquered a milestone in your life."