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The blood and organ donation registration festival was jointly held by the
Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRC), the Vietnam Buddhist Academy (VBA) and the
Vietnam National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion.
Addressing the event, Most Venerable Thich Thanh Quyet, Vice Chairman of the
Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS)’s Executive Council and head of the VBA, said from
now on, blood and organ donation will form part of the academy’s regular
activities.
In his remarks, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh reviewed the over
2,000-year development history of Buddhism in Vietnam, as well as the religion’s
companionship with the nation.
He suggested the Ministry of Health, the VRC and the VBS maintain and roll out
the programme at all Buddhist facilities nationwide, and emphasised the need to
step up the communication work in order to raise public awareness of blood and
organ donation.
Currently, Vietnam has seen a high demand for organ transplantation. As of July
2019, 25,000 people have registered to donate organs, tissue and body parts
after their death. So far, more than 3,000 organ transplantations have been
conducted.
Over the years, communications on tissue and organ donation have seen positive
results, with great contributions from Buddhist dignitaries and followers.
In May this year, nearly 600 monks, nuns and followers registered to give away
their organs and tissue at Giac Ngo pagoda. The “Dao Phat ngay nay” (Buddhism
today) Foundation run by the Giac Ngo pagoda had previously organised the
programme three times in 2015, 2016 and 2017, with the total number of
registering people reaching 1,360.
Source:VNA
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