The Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service announced the official launch of "BloodTHX SMS" yesterday to send a message of appreciation to blood donors.
The SMS messages will be sent to the blood donors' mobile phones under the name "BloodTHX," expressing their gratitude.
Typically, collected red blood cells from the donors are distributed to hospitals in Hong Kong through the Blood Storage and Distribution Division. The Blood Transfusion Service will subsequently send a thank-you message to the donor while also informing the donor that their blood has been delivered for patient use.
Donors generally receive these messages from the Blood Transfusion Service within four weeks after donating blood. Some blood types that are more commonly used, such as blood types O and A, may receive the messages quicker.
Apart from keeping the public informed about the status of their blood donations and the usage, the center also aims to enhance communication and strengthen connections with blood donors.
It hopes to communicate with blood donors through SMS while also staying connected.
Lee Cheuk-kwong, chief executive and medical director of Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service, said that the blood donated will undergo centrifugation, which is a blood separation process that divides it into red blood cells, platelets, and plasma. The timing of the messages will be based on the application of red blood cells.
The majority of blood donors will receive SMS, but there may be a small number of donors who do not receive them due to individual reasons. For example, the center randomly selects blood samples for routine quality checks, and some donated blood that does not meet the required volume may instead be used for testing or academic research, but such cases are extremely rare.
The other reason for donors not receiving an SMS is when the blood tests positive for the hepatitis B virus.
"As society gradually returns to normal, the demand for blood in hospitals is increasing. The center's goal is to collect 650 units of blood daily. However, on days affected by typhoons and the rainy season, we often collect just over 100 units of blood. Even after the severe weather last Friday and Saturday, we have only collected over 400 units of blood in the past two days, which is still below the standard," Lee said.
Lee added that the center will not request personal information from blood donors through SMS, nor will they include any links to adhere to the privacy policy.
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