SPEECH BY MR TAN KIAT HOW, SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE, MINISTRY OF DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT AND INFORMATION & MINISTRY OF HEALTH, AT THE WORLD BLOOD DONOR DAY, 27 JUNE 2026

Professor Benjamin Ong, Chairman, Health Sciences Authority

Mr Tan Kai Hoe, Chairman, Singapore Red Cross

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

Mr Benjamin William, Secretary-General, Singapore Red Cross

Champion donors, ladies and gentlemen

Introduction

A very good morning, and Happy World Blood Donor Day. Happy to be here, thank you for being here, and thank you to Tong Xuan for sharing with us your very personal and inspiring story. I hope it touches and inspires many more blood donors.

2        Today, I will first start by thanking all of you. For every moment where you chose to show up – touching and saving the lives of many, including patients like Tong Xuan whom you just heard from just now. Last year, your donations helped more than 34,700 patients like her. Give yourselves a round of applause, very well done. You made a real difference to those lives.

3        Among the many donors who embody this “We First” spirit that Prime Minister Lawrence Wong spoke about is 57-year-old Mr John Ethan Tong. At 30, he walked into his first blood donation with curiosity and uncertainty, but left with one conviction: "If I don't step up, who will?" In 2015, he answered an urgent call from the Bloodbank, informing him that his platelets were a rare and unique match for a cancer patient who was not responding well to standard platelet transfusions. In the months that followed, Mr Tong donated consistently – and the patient recovered well. It is through quiet, steadfast acts of generosity like Mr Tong's that lives are changed. Because every day in Singapore, we need about 400 units of blood to sustain treatment. So, to Mr Tong, and to every donor here today, thank you again for saving lives.

4        But there are challenges ahead: rising demand for blood driven by an ageing population, and a shrinking pool of younger donors. Over the past decade, or the last ten years, the number of young donors aged 16 to 25 has fallen from above 20,000 to fewer than 9,600 – a drop of more than half, more than 50% over the last 10 years. At the same time, blood demand is projected to grow by 1% to 1.3% annually, driven by an ageing population and rising cancer rates. If we don’t change this trend, demand will outstrip supply in just seven years, and that’s a very short period of time. In just seven years, demand for blood every year will outstrip the supply that we have. Let me outline how I think we can rise to the challenge.

Increasing Corporate Participation

5        First, it is about increasing corporate participation. Busy work schedules can make it hard to find time to donate. That is why we bring blood donation into the workplace through the Adopt a Bloodbank programme. When employers set aside time for blood donation and rally their teams, they send a clear message: saving lives is a cause worth showing up for. Together with the free transport provided by Singapore Red Cross (SRC) for groups of 10 or more donors, taking that first step has never been easier. I encourage corporates to come aboard and join this programme. Send a strong signal to your staff about how you are aligning to the “We First” mindset in society here in Singapore.

6        One good example – this year, Tan Tock Seng Hospital adopted Bloodbank@HSA as part of its 182^nd founding anniversary celebrations alongside Nurses’ Day. Staff from Tan Tock Seng came together to donate – including their CEO and Chief Nurse on 15 May. This adoption reflects the hospital’s ongoing commitment to support blood donation and underscore their belief that caring for the community is a shared responsibility – one that extends beyond the hospital walls.

7        Another new adopter is Haidilao Singapore. Besides staff donation, they extended dining discounts to all blood donors throughout the year, and leveraged their in-store touchpoints and marketing channels to spread the blood donation message. In doing so, they turned every visit to their restaurant into an opportunity to inspire someone to donate blood. Since the Adopt a Bloodbank initiative was enhanced in October 2025, we are heartened to see that the number of adopters has doubled to 70 organisations.

8        To encourage more organisations to make giving a part of their culture, we also launched the "80 for 80" Blood Donation Marathon in April. This aims to get 80 organisations each to rally at least 80 of their staff to donate blood. So far, I am heartened that 12 organisations have held blood drives and group donations, bringing in close to 1,200 donors. This is good momentum – and we hope that it marks the beginning of a lasting culture of blood donation within each of these organisations. I encourage all organisations here to spread the word – spread it to your suppliers, your partners, and to your different communities. Please bring more organisations to come onboard and join the programme. It is a meaningful and impactful effort to make a difference.

New Impact Multiplier Award

9        We are also seeing organisations find creative new ways to support blood donation. This includes developing merchandise and curating experiences that spark curiosity and conversation about blood donation. These efforts make blood donation more accessible, visible and part of everyday life.

10       To recognise such organisations, I am proud to share that we have introduced the Impact Multiplier Award this year. Invade Co., organiser of ARTBOX, and POP MART will be receiving the award today. The blood drive at ARTBOX connected us with the younger generation, attracting close to 180 youths to register for donation over the two-day event in April 2026.

11       POP MART’s collaborative campaign with SRC turned a meaningful experience into something fun and shareable. Through the 18-day campaign in 2025, it attracted more than 4,100 donors. We need more organisations like these to join hands with us. I warmly invite you to reach out to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and SRC, to make a difference together. It is not just corporates coming onboard, bringing their staff and partners to conduct blood drives, and showing that this is part of a culture making a difference to society. We also want to work with organisations with ideas, new ways to reach out to different parts of Singapore – young people and the not so young ones – to make blood donation part of everyday life, part of our everyday task, part of everyday practice, and to do it together with friends and family members. I think that will make a difference and help more young people understand and clarify any doubts they might have about blood donation. As Tong Xuan mentioned earlier, when she first started blood donation, she had certain perceptions and mindsets about what the blood will be used for and how you donate. Through exercises like that, working with organisations, reaching out to different audiences, making it fun, making it more accessible, making more everyday conversations, I think we removed some of these misperceptions, and I am very heartened that we are doing many of these efforts.

Donors for Life

12       Ultimately, at the heart of it, our approach has always been centred on building lasting relationships with donors. The journey begins from preschool, when we educate children on the importance of blood donation so that when they become eligible, the idea is already familiar.

13       For seniors, we raised the age limit for first-time donors to 65 in January this year so that healthy older Singaporeans can also play their part. Since then, we have seen an encouraging response, with more than 80 seniors coming forward to donate blood for the first time. Those unable to donate blood can volunteer at our Bloodbanks or events, or become a blood advocate within your communities. After all, the desire to give knows no age limit, and everyone has a role to play. Today, only 1.3% of Singapore's population donates blood regularly – yet we need 130,000 bags a year to meet Singapore’s demand. Growing, and importantly, sustaining the pool of donors is more important than ever.

14       HSA and SRC are committed to acknowledging and celebrating the people behind every donation, through events like today's World Blood Donor Day, as well as small tokens of appreciation that reflect our gratitude. The small tokens of appreciation – you know that these are just signs of our appreciation for your donation and steadfast support. This approach is consistent with the World Health Organization’s definition of voluntary non-remunerated blood donation.

15       As part of this year’s 80^th anniversary celebration, HSA and SRC have worked with more partners to recognise blood donors. Happy to share that from today onwards, as a token of appreciation to donors for your contributions, eligible donors will receive 200 Healthpoints through the Healthy 365 app for every successful donation. This is equivalent to 100,000 steps, or 20 days of consistent daily walking. With these points, donors can redeem rewards ranging from MediShield Life premium discounts to eVouchers and donations to community causes. It is just a small token of our appreciation for your immense support and dedication over the years.

16       I am also very delighted that my own constituency is supporting the National Blood Programme through the People's Association (PA) network, with 21 volunteers supporting today's event. Very happy that they are hosting the event today in East Coast. My constituency is also stepping up to show that we can play our part. PA has been a long-standing partner of HSA and SRC. They have supported blood donation efforts by mobilising volunteers, organising blood donation drives at community centres, and rallying residents to come forward and contribute to this meaningful cause. Today's World Blood Donor Day drive is also co-organised by PA. Please give all the volunteers and staff of PA a round of applause. Thank you for being a long-time partner of blood donation drives.

17       As part of the National Blood Programme’s milestone celebration, every donor who donates at PA drives will receive 80 yuu Points as PA’s PAssion membership benefit. Under PA's PAssion CARES initiative, PA's partner, POSB, will also donate an equivalent amount to PA to support less privileged families. In other words, a single act of blood donation touches not just patients but also the wider community that needs help. With more than 30 PA drives coming up in neighbourhoods across the country, why not make a meaningful day of it with your friends and family? Donate blood, benefit someone who needs it, and with support from our partners at POSB, support more vulnerable families in the community – triple benefits to everyone. I think that really shows how the partnership and community efforts make a real difference.

Closing

18       Let me conclude by saying that the next seven years will determine the future of Singapore's blood supply. We can either watch demand outpace supply and shrug our shoulders or do nothing about it – or we can do something now, act now to make sure that never happens, so that patients like Tong Xuan and many others who need blood on a daily basis can get the invaluable support that enables them to live a better life, with more time for the family and more time to recover. That shows that kind of society we are.

19       To our organisations: organise drives, adopt a Bloodbank, be a multiplier in your community. To our donors: Share your story, bring your friends and family, inspire someone to take the first step. The solution will come from all of us choosing to make blood donation a part of how we live and care for one another.

20       Let me thank everyone again for your strong contributions, your generosity, your dedication, and your presence here today. You are not just donors, but also lifesavers and hope-givers. I wish you a truly meaningful World Blood Donor Day. Thank you very much.