SPEECH BY MR ONG YE KUNG, MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND COORDINATING MINISTER FOR SOCIAL POLICIES AT THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL BLOOD PROGRAMME

Professor Benjamin Ong, Chairman, Health Sciences Authority

Ms Emily Tan, Ms Tan Poh Hong, Vice-Chairmen, Singapore Red Cross

Adjunct Professor (Dr) Raymond Chua, CEO, Health Sciences Authority

Mr Benjamin William, Secretary-General, Singapore Red Cross

Friends, donors, ladies and gentlemen

1.            I am very happy to join you today to celebrate the 80^th Anniversary of the National Blood Programme. This is literally the 80-year journey of blood, sweat, and tears.

An 80 Year Journey

2.         We started in 1946. Then, Singapore only had one Bloodbank. At that time, we collected 287 units of blood a year. Today, we have five Bloodbanks spread throughout Singapore. We collect almost 500 times more, at about 130,000 units per year. 

3.         Bloodbanks and mobile drives are the physical “hardware”. What is more important in the National Blood Programme’s journey is the growth of the “heartware” – the spirit of giving and helping to save lives. 

4.         From a few hundred people at the start, we now have more than 77,000 donors and 500 partners who are contributing to the programme in many ways. Today, we have about 260 mobile blood drives annually, and we go to where donors are, including offices, schools, housing estates, community shopping centres, et cetera.

5.          It has been a tremendous journey of dedication, mobilisation, and most importantly, of saving lives. Thank you, everyone, for championing blood donation over the decades.

A Perfect Storm Ahead

6.          At this Anniversary event, I wish I could just celebrate our past achievements, and then say let us look forward to better days ahead.  Unfortunately, I came to MOH during Covid-19, so I am always very realistic on what are the problems ahead.. We need to recognise the stark reality of blood donation before us, and I would say, a perfect storm awaits us.

7.         Number one, Supply is projected to fall. Over the past decade, the number of donors grew by 9%, largely due to the growth of older donors. Over the same period, the number of youth donors has fallen by more than half, from about 20,000 to under 9,600. I wish to see more young people.

8.         A key driver is the declining birth rate and the smaller cohorts of young people. Another reason is the declining participation in blood donation amongst the young. If the youth participation rate does not improve and new cohorts continue to shrink, there will be a significant impact on blood donation supply in the years ahead.

9.         At the same time, blood demand is growing. In 2015, blood demand was about 109,000 units. In 2025, it was about 118,000 units. And demand will continue to grow. The higher demand is driven primarily by our ageing population. A Health Sciences Authority (HSA) study in 2023 revealed that patients aged 60 and above accounted for 60% of blood usage. You can imagine as more people cross 60 years old,  the demand for blood transfusions will go up. 

10.         Another significant driver of demand is actually cancer. Cancer patients frequently require transfusions due to anaemia from both the disease itself and its treatment. The treatment of cancers in Singapore accounts for almost a quarter (23%) of our total blood usage every year. With cancer incidence rising, this will also drive up blood demand. 

11.         Today, we are still in a fairly ok position where the supply of blood donations is higher than the demand, generally over the course of the year. But the demand curve is pointing up, while the supply curve is pointing down. In seven years’ time, the two curves will cross, and that is when demand is projected to outstrip supply.

12.         When this happens, surgical procedures requiring transfusion support may have to be delayed or even cancelled. Anaemic patients may be unable to receive necessary blood transfusions, which can lead to serious complications, and even loss of life. These are the real possibilities. 

13.         Difficult times lie ahead. We need to start taking measures to address these challenges. 

Addressing the Challenge

14.         First, we can be more inclusive in recruiting donors. We will do this through a rigorous, evidence-based approach to widen donor eligibility. In 2023, we updated our guidelines to allow those who have lived in countries with known instances of the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, to donate blood again. This will be done via apheresis blood donation, where only certain components of their blood need to be taken, thereby eliminating any risks to the recipients. I lived in the UK in the 1980s, but due to this policy change (that I approved), I can donate blood again.

15.         This year, we raised the age limit for first-time blood donors from 60 to 65 years old, enabling more seniors to be part of this life-saving force. Since then, we have seen an encouraging response, with close to 60 seniors coming forward to donate blood.

16.         Second, we can make blood donation more convenient. We launched the DonateBlood app in September 2021, to make it easier for everyone to book appointments and complete the Donor Health Assessment Questionnaire before coming to the Bloodbanks.

17.         We will be taking steps to integrate the DonateBlood app with HealthHub, so that eventually, blood donors will be able to book and manage all their blood donation appointments on a single platform. HSA is also rolling out an electronic donor eligibility tool for travellers. Simply input your travel dates and destinations, and the tool will tell you when you can donate and book your next appointment.

18.         Third, we will better recognise our donors. Every year, we recognise the commitment of donors through our annual blood donation awards. In the second half of this year, HSA, the Singapore Red Cross (SRC) and the Health Promotion Board will implement a new initiative to award donors with Healthpoints for every successful blood donation, via the Healthy 365 mobile application. These points can be used to redeem vouchers, as well as MediShield Life premium discounts. It can also be donated to community causes.

19.         Fourth, we will step up efforts to reach out to younger donors. Workplaces are an effective channel to outreach to young working adults, who are very active donors. We will therefore strengthen our partnerships with organisations and employers. When employers regard blood donation as a corporate social responsibility, without fail, their staff will come together and respond positively. 

20.         I want to applaud the healthcare institutions that have been strongly supporting blood donation as employers, leading by example in the healthcare sector. These are – IHH Healthcare Singapore, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Mount Alvernia Hospital, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and Woodlands Hospital – a good combination of public and private healthcare institutions.

21.         The Singapore General Hospital, National Cancer Centre Singapore, National Dental Centre Singapore, National Heart Centre Singapore and Singapore National Eye Centre, all which are side by side, have just come on board the Adopt-A-Bloodbank programme. They will encourage their staff to make regular donations at Bloodbank@HSA, located just across the road from here at the HSA building.

22.         Other major organisations that we are partnering with are the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Education and the People’s Association. They have a large workforce and volunteer base and can make a very significant impact through coordinated blood donation drives and Bloodbank adoption. The civil service as a whole, through the Public Service Division, is also taking the lead by approving the use of one day volunteer leave for blood donation.

23.         With a strong push by the public sector, we hope many private sector organisations will follow suit. I would actually also add, sometimes it is useful to also engage religious institutions.

24.         Finally, we must strengthen youth engagement. The SRC has partnered with commercial brands to raise awareness of blood donation amongst the young. Together, they have organised several events, which were well attended, with encouraging results. SRC’s volunteer leadership programme, YouthInspire, has over 1,000 volunteers now. They are now the ones developing creative strategies to reach their peers. Looking ahead, we will also strengthen our partnership with Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), to bring blood donation drives onto campuses. I think we will be surprised at how enthusiastic young people are when it comes to helping others. We just need to be able to reach out to them, make them be aware that this is a good cause. And I think engaging IHLs, universities, the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and polytechnics are very good strategies moving forward.

Conclusion

25.         I would like to end my speech by honouring our extraordinary long-time donors. Many of them are here with us today. For example, Mr Lim Kim Koon and Mr Philip Tan have each donated more than 345 times in their lifetime. Based on the statistics given by Adjunct Professor (Dr) Raymond Chua, you have saved over 1,000 lives each. We also have Mr Mohamed Tahir Mohamed Yusof and Dr Sadali Bin Rasban – they have donated for about 45 years, clocking about 300 donations each. Thank you for sustaining our blood supply all these years. 

26.         Today, we also mark this anniversary celebration with the “80 for 80” Blood Marathon. We are calling on 80 organisations across Singapore to each mobilise at least 80 staff to donate blood. HSA is the first organisation to take up this commitment, aiming to contribute 80 units of blood over the next two weeks. We hope this “80 for 80” effort will help catalyse more organisational involvement, leading to strong partnerships for the future.   

27.         This will be a marathon, because so long as there are diseases, we will need blood to save lives, and blood donation is a perpetual campaign. Even if the road ahead for us can be tough and we may have a perfect storm ahead, we will press on together, and I think we can resolve this together. Thank you.