Korea's Blood Reserves Fall to Alarming Levels

Students donate blood at a college in Busan on Monday. /Newsis

Korea only managed to collect optimum blood reserves on 97 days in 2018, falling below 100 for the first time ever, according to Korean Red Cross data.

Advertisement

The situation is also serious this year as the Red Cross has so far managed to secure optimum blood reserves lasting for five days ahead on only 49 days. Comparing January levels each year, Korea secured enough blood to last 6.5 days in early 2014, but that fell to 4.4 days in 2017 and to 4.1 days this year.

The number of blood donations plunged from 2.84 million in 2014 to 2.68 million last year, and the number of donors dropped from 1.6 million to 1.39 million over the same period.   

The lack of blood supplies is largely due to the aging population as numbers of teenagers and young adults, who tend to be the most active donors, dwindle. Seven out of every 10 blood donors in Korea are in their teens and 20s, but their blood-donation rate fell from 78.1 percent in 2014 to 68.7 percent last year.

The declining birthrate is heightening concerns over blood supplies in the years ahead because of a shortage of possible active donors while the number of people in their 50s, who account for more than 70 percent of blood donation recipients, keeps rising.

The number of donors in their 30s is larger in other countries. In 2016, 30-somethings accounted for 78.4 percent of all donors in Japan, while the proportion was 67 percent in Taiwan. In France, people in their 40s account for 49.5 percent of all donors.

The Korean Red Cross said, "We are looking for ways to boost blood donations from middle-aged people, but we need the help of regional governments to boost donations by public servants and employees of state-run institutions and to promote private-sector donations".

Such programs already exist to promote donations among public servants -- for example, they are allowed to take a half-day off when they go to donate blood -- but a lack of awareness has resulted in poor participation rates.

The Red Cross continues to spend more money on gifts and snacks for blood donors, surpassing W15 billion last year (US$1=W1,195). Instead of cookies it now hands out book coupons, movie tickets, gift vouchers, Bluetooth speakers, umbrellas and burger coupons to donors.

The number of gifts increases during the summer and winter seasons, when donation levels tend to fall. They recently even included autographed CDs by K-pop bands donated by fans.