The UB Post-Leading English News

Every six or eight months, honorary donor and welder, D.Batchuluun, gives blood at the National Blood Center (NBC) in Ulaanbaatar. The 27-year-old has donated an impressive amount of blood to the NBC since 2002. He is one of 18,000 permanent blood donors in Mongolia. Honorary donor G.Jamts, aged 70, has been donating blood since 1960 when he was a student at the National University of Education. He has given 75 liters of blood over 35 years which has saved 1,000 lives. Both claim that if blood donors were given enough incentive then many people would donate blood. During 1970s and 1980s, 100 gram of blood was valued at Tg40, and after giving 400 to 500 grams of blood, donors were paid over Tg200 which was enough money spending for a month.

“Why should I give my blood to the National Blood Center (NBC) without any bonus? I work as a welder and my salary is deficient like others. Most Mongolians have financial difficulties like me. Now this precious donation becomes free. Voluntary blood donors get Tg1.000 with some chocolate or snack and multi-vitamin juice. If the system paid donors at least Tg15.000 to 20.000, then I would happily donate my blood every two months”, said Batchuluun to the UB POST while he was donating blood.

“What I say to readers is that maybe many people do not donate their blood to the NBC for this reason. So now we must start to care for this issue. If three percent of the population donates their blood, then any country’s blood stocking-piling (reserve) is supplied completely. Last June, Mongolia was shaken by the Mi-8 helicopter accident that killed fourteen rescuers and one pilot. This crash sent a wave of panic to the NBC if a larger crash had occurred, what would they do? With a decrease in the number of blood donors, how could they fill their blood supply and blood reserve? Who knows….

Mongolia gave several blood donations to the Vietnam War during the 1960s and 1970s, but now Mongolia is merely written off. The National Security Committee of Mongolia has warned that we should have enough blood stocking-piling for the NBC. But since 1994, Mongolia has changed from a system of paid donors to a system of voluntary, non-remunerated donors. This was the main factor for a decrease in the number of blood donors in Mongolia.� � �

“Every year, overall 18.000 permanent donors give their blood to the National Blood Center and its provincial branches to help meet the needs of patients and to prevent postponing surgeries. Among them 12.000 live in Ulaanbaatar, 6.000 live in aimags. In 2006, 58,500 donors were registered including two replacements, 1 family, 1.8 plasma, 36 active, and first-time donors 59 percent, respectively. Compared� with last year, the number increased 5.819. 90 percent were registered in NBC and 10 percent of them filed in provincial branches”, said D.Enkhtsetseg of the Mongolian Red Cross Society (MRCS) and Blood Donor Recruitment Program officer to UB POST.

“Family blood donors have increased in the past few years. This is a dangerous threat for Mongolia because expenditures and risks are increasing dramatically for donating blood. Instead, Mongolians should understand that if they donate their blood it is safer than family donors. The population does not have enough knowledge about voluntary donations,” added Enkhtsetseg. Each blood donation can help as many as three people. The need for blood has increased during the past few years.

There have been no reports of diseases which were infected by the blood of donors in Mongolia even today. Even though NBC has not been successful in taking blood from people, it has never lost its responsibility for securing blood donors and transferring contagious diseases to people. In some countries, many people received diseases and HIV/AIDS through blood from donors.�

There are in total, 1.256 hospitals, 34.000 doctors and nurses, 25 provincial centers and one National Blood Center working to take blood throughout Mongolia. In addition, the Mongolian Red Cross Society (MRCS) has 38 middle level branches and 821 primary level branches joining to help an operation of blood donations. Through these branches, 15.292 people gave their blood and the percentage of donors between ages 18-25 was 77.5 percent, an increase of 10 percent since 2006. Youth and student donors between ages 20-24 are now 35.5 percent of all donors.

In 2000, the Donor Law was passed by Government of Mongolia, according to article of 14.1 and 14.2, the Mongolian Red Cross Society (MRCS) will be responsible for expanding, promoting, and advocating the activities of the blood donor movement through cooperation with other government and non-government organizations. The Mongolian government will be responsible for the budget of promoting and advocating blood and organ donation activities for the improvement of the health of the community. MRCS and its Youth Donor-25 Club aim to recruit, select, and retain voluntary non-remunerated blood donors, according to national blood donor law, and to cooperate with other government and non-government organizations and with Mongolian Student Association and Mongolian Youth Association, towards this end, explained to the UB POST.

But the Government of Mongolia budgeted only Tg3.5 million in 2006 and Tg8.5 million in 2007 towards the promotion of blood and organ donation for the improvement of community health. Thus, MRCS has received financial support estimated at Tg15 million for the budget from international organizations. This causes difficulties for them, if they had Tg90 to Tg100 million, then this amount would be enough to spend for making advertisements, advocating blood activities of mobile blood drives, provincial trainings for recruiters and preparing materials, along with TV and radio promotions spots.

There are many organizations which run its campaigns for the prevention of HIV/AIDS, but MRCS is the only organization promoting the donation of blood in Mongolia, added by Enkhtsetseg to the UB POST.
About 1.000 people were given honorary awards from NBC and MRCS for those donors who have given a total of 12 liters of blood. According to the Government of Mongolia, donors aged above 50 years old receive some bonuses and discounts when they receive a medical exam and go to the sanatorium according to Donor Law. This is the only social care for blood donors. Blood donation should not only be the work of NBC and MRCS, it should be government policy too.