On the occasion of the 19th World Blood Donor Day, Shanghai Jiahui International Hospital collaborated with the Blood Administration Office of Xuhui District to hold a voluntary blood donation campaign on June 16.
The theme of the campaign was “Giving our city the gift of life.” This is the fourth consecutive year that Shanghai Jiahui International Hospital has held a blood donation campaign. This year, a total of 106 employees participated in the campaign. Overall 24,600 milliliters of blood were collected.
Since the recent pandemic outbreak in March, over 300 babies were born at Jiahui; all of the beds within Jiahui International Cancer Center have been fully occupied; the number of major critical surgeries has increased sharply; and the inpatient department has treated thousands of patients.
These high volumes not only put pressure on Jiahui's clinical teams, but also pose a significant challenge to the Jiahui Blood Bank. In the face of the sudden increased demand for blood during the pandemic,
Jiahui’s Blood Bank team did everything possible to meet patients’ needs, including maintaining frequent communication with the blood center each day and establishing a collaborative blood dispatch group made up of various private healthcare institutions.
This multifaceted unified approach enabled mutual support and allowed for the coordinated supply of blood and appropriate allocation of limited resources between different institutions during the lockdown period.
In parallel, the hospital launched an emergency plan for patients in need of urgent and large blood transfusions, whereby blood could be supplied within 30 minutes. This coordination meant that many patients’ lives were saved.
Hou Qi, Director of Jiahui Health’s Laboratory Service, shared:
“With the use of multidimensional measures, such as routine blood preparation, emergency plans, autologous blood transfusion, and cross-institutional coordination, Jiahui was able to provide nearly 300 units of various blood products to patients during the pandemic period, thereby successfully meeting the needs of critically ill patients.”
Everyone at Jiahui who fights at the frontline of healthcare understands the importance of blood for patients. In addition to being highly competent in their jobs, Jiahui employees want to do more.
In mid-May, Shanghai Jiahui International Hospital proactively contacted the Municipal Blood Center and the Blood Administration Office of Xuhui District to establish a blood collection site at the hospital as soon as the pandemic prevention and control situation improved. The purpose was to provide the opportunity for Jiahui medical staff and employees to donate blood and give the gift of life.
Ge Feng, CEO of Jiahui Health
Ge Feng, CEO of Jiahui Health said:
“As the theme of this year’s World Blood Donation Day expresses, ‘donating blood is an act of solidarity.’ Throughout this pandemic, we have also experienced the tremendous energy of solidarity.
“At present, Shanghai is starting to fully restore normal life. It is expected that more and more routine operations will be scheduled, and sufficient blood bank supplies will become the basis for ensuring the safety of these operations.
“Lending your arm to donate blood may only be a small action, but it can provide hope for a new life. We hope that through these public welfare activities, we will play a role in protecting Shanghai, while also conveying the mission and value of our hospital to both society and the world.”
Jennifer Yu, Ambulatory Nursing Manager at Jiahui International Hospital, arrived at the blood collection site early in the morning to register for her 13th voluntary blood donation. In the past two months, she has continued to fight at the frontline of healthcare to protect the health of patients.
In addition to this, she also took the initiative to sign up to support the community PCR sampling work within the Hongmei community. After hearing about the blood drive, she volunteered to donate blood once again.
Jennifer says that:
“Jiahui has dispatched nearly 800 people to support the community’s fight against the pandemic, and I am just another member of the team. Now I have another opportunity to further support healthcare work and bring warmth to those in need. It is not only my duty, but it is also very meaningful to me.”
Dr. Louis Pan from the Jiahui General Surgery team
Dr. Louis Pan from the Jiahui General Surgery team is also a regular blood donor. He highlights the benevolence of doctors:
“As a doctor, I know very well that donating blood in a safe manner does not have a negative impact on a healthy person.
“As a surgeon, I also understand that if an adequate blood supply does not exist, it creates a significant surgical risk to doctors as well as patients on the operating table.
“So, as long as my own situation allows, I am always willing to donate blood. By extending my arm I can help others as well as myself. For us doctors, this is not a high level of dedication, it is purely instinct.”
To ensure peace of mind, Jiahui ensured that the health and safety of everyone involved in the blood donation event was fully protected. Each person who signed up to donate blood had to provide a negative nucleic acid test report conducted within 48 hours and cooperated with all pandemic prevention and control measures.
This included showing health and travel codes upon arrival, wearing a mask throughout the entire process, maintaining a social distance of more than 1m, and avoiding gatherings by granting entry in batches. In parallel, a primary blood screening test was conducted on-site to ensure the safety of both the donor and the blood.
Jiahui’s staff always upholds the mission of healthcare with practical actions to protect lives. In the second half of 2022, Shanghai Jiahui International Hospital will be holding a campaign to advocate for blood donations from the public for the benefit of the community. The aim is to encourage more people to become blood donors, continuing to give the gift of life.
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