Sichuan residents donate blood for quake victims

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Source: CCTV.com | 05-14-2008 09:02

Residents in Sichuan have been quick to join relief efforts. Across the province, people are donating blood to ensure the supply at local blood banks.

Blood donators wait for blood extraction in the compartment  of a bloodmobile, at Nangchong, southwest China's Sichuan  Province, May 13, 2008. The public of Nanchong City actively  donate blood to help victims of the quake that rocked the  Sichuan Province with the epicenter at Wenchuan County on  Monday. There is a large demand for blood in quake-hit areas  and feedback from the quake-stricken areas shows blood and  plasma products are urgently needed.(Xinhua Photo)

Even near midnight on Monday, lines of people wanting to donate blood at makeshift stations across Chengdu city were still long.

Only hours after the quake, temporary facilities like this were set up by hospitals across Sichuan. Most donors headed for the stations right after they heard the appeals on the radio.

A Chengdu resident said, "I just want to do my bit for the disaster relief. It's plain and simple. It's likely that my blood can help save a life."

Citizens queue up to donate blood in southwest China's Chongqing  Municipality, for the injured in earthquake in Sichuan Province,  on May 13, 2008. Feedback from the quake-stricken areas shows  blood and plasma products are urgently needed. The Ministry of  Health urged the public to donate blood to help victims, and the  call met a hearty response around the country.(Xinhua Photo)

Local hospitals and other medical facilities are expecting a huge influx of patients, as rescue efforts free more and more people trapped under collapsed buildings. In anticipation of the strain on the local blood bank, donation vans have been deployed in all major cities across Sichuan.

Fu Chao, director of Chengdu Blood Donation Center, said, We don't want to keep the donors waiting for too long. Another donation van is coming here soon.

Since Monday evening, these blood donation stations set up at public squares and shopping malls have been busy. In cities like Chengdu, Ziyang, and Suining, tens of thousands of citizens have come forward.