Forum: More youth, corporate support needed for blood donation efforts
T he theme for World Blood Donor Day 2025 is 'Give blood, give hope: together we save lives'. While blood donations in Singapore have increased – 79,365 donors in 2024, up 24 per cent since 2010 – challenges remain.
Youth participation has declined sharply: Only 14 per cent of donors were aged 16 to 25 in 2024, compared with 33 per cent in 2010.
New donor numbers have also fallen, from 21,420 in 2016 to 17,817 in 2024. Despite more donors overall, the number of donations per 1,000 people remains low at 21.2.
To address this, the Health Sciences Authority and Singapore Red Cross are aiming to grow the youth donor pool to 30 per cent by 2030 through programmes like YouthInspired and partnerships with schools and civic groups.
Corporations also play a crucial role. Beyond hosting blood drives, companies should consider enabling participation such as offering time off to build a culture of regular donation.
I hope more corporations will take steps – not just as organisers but also as active enablers – to encourage their employees to give blood and give hope.
Ivan Ong
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