Singapore Red Cross targets younger blood donors in new push

SINGAPORE – A new initiative launched by the Singapore Red Cross (SRC) aims to engage 500 young people aged 16 to 25 over the next five years.

By 2030, the organisation also hopes to increase the youth donor pool to 25 per cent of the total programme from the current 15 per cent.

Over the last decade, the percentage of youth donors has declined by half, from 31 per cent in 2013.

“This trend underscores the pressing need to actively engage and involve our youth in blood donation,” said Ms Rahayu Mahzam, Minister of State for Health, who launched the initiative on World Blood Donor Day on June 29 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre.

Ms Rahayu, a blood donor herself, said the active involvement of today’s youth is pivotal in ensuring the sustainability of Singapore’s future blood supply.

The initiative, called YouthInspired, will see SRC attempt to build connections with young people through events and campaigns.

One of the key campaigns YouthInspired will be taking part in later in 2024 is the Asia-Pacific Youth Blood Donation Marathon. When it was last held in 2022, students from 14 universities in Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea took part.

In the upcoming event, more countries and institutes of higher learning will be participating, said Ms Rahayu, who is also Minister of State for Communications and Information.

SRC chairman Tan Kai Hoe said every year, blood donors make up about 1.8 per cent of Singapore’s residential population – which means about 77,000 donors shoulder the country’s blood transfusion needs.

SRC will continue to engage schoolchildren – including those aged 15 and younger who are not old enough to donate yet – through learning journeys to blood banks and other educational and advocacy activities in schools and institutes of higher learning, he said.

The Red Cross Youth uniformed group, through the Youth Blood Donor Programme, nurtures blood donation advocates in primary and secondary schools. SRC also works closely with tertiary institutions to organise outreach activities and blood donation drives on campuses.

Additionally, it has introduced the importance of blood donation to its Red Cross Juniors in kindergartens, he added.

Blood demand will rise with Singapore’s rapidly ageing population, Ms Rahayu said. She noted that residents aged 65 and above now constitute almost one-fifth of Singapore’s population, compared with 11.7 per cent a decade ago.

A Health Sciences Authority (HSA) study revealed that patients aged 60 and above accounted for 60 per cent of the blood usage. As a person ages, the likelihood of him requiring a blood transfusion increases due to higher susceptibility to anaemia and the development of multiple comorbidities.

Cancer has also emerged as a significant contributor to blood usage, constituting 10 per cent of the total blood usage in Singapore. Patients with cancer may require blood transfusion due to anaemia from the cancer itself or from treatment.

The incidence of cancer has been steadily rising over the last 50 years and with Singapore’s ageing population, this trend is expected to continue in the future, Ms Rahayu said.

In addition, patients with hereditary anaemia account for the highest blood usage per patient. Patients with thalassemia, for example, rely on blood transfusions every three to four weeks to maintain their health, she said.

Ms Chua Jo Er is a young donor who received the

Youthphoria award

 along with 36 others. The award honours blood donors aged 16 to 25 who have made 20 donations by the age of 25 – an average of two blood donations a year over a decade. 

The 25-year-old aerospace engineering student at NTU recalled that when she turned 17, her mother took her to Bloodbank@HSA, where she donated blood for the first time. She has since donated her Type O blood 22 times.

“I have three friends who are not regular blood donors, so I encouraged them, and we go for blood donation together after school,” she said.

Ms Chua believes the YouthInspired programme will help youth know more about the importance of donating blood and clear any misconceptions about blood donation. “I think it’s important to have more youth step up and donate blood because they represent the future of Singapore’s blood donor pool,” she said.

To encourage more youth to donate blood, she said social media should be used to spread awareness about blood donations, feature stories about regular blood donors and display information about donation drives around Singapore.

Ms Daliah Abdul Aziz, a 26-year-old engineer, also received the Youthphoria award. She was inspired by a senior at Nanyang Polytechnic to donate blood for the first time when she was 18.

“Youth can play an active role as blood donors,” she said. “By donating blood, we gain a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction in the knowledge that we can positively impact someone’s life.”

At the event, SRC and HSA paid tribute to 1,961 blood donors and 23 blood champion organisations for their support in 2023. The awards were presented by Ms Rahayu and MP for Jalan Besar GRC Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah.

Those who are interested in the YouthInspired programme can e-mail

donate.blood@redcross.sg

.