Sichuan Zigong Mr. Xie has donated a total of 39,400 milliliters of blood over the past 10 years. Recently, he went to Rongxian People’s Hospital with his “Love Card” for treatment and, in accordance with local government regulations, requested to be exempted from examination fees. However, he was rejected twice, causing widespread attention on the internet.
According to a report on April 13 by The Paper, Mr. Xie from Zigong, Sichuan is 30 years old. Since 2016, he has donated blood a total of 109 times, with the total amount reaching 39,400 milliliters (equivalent to the total blood volume of 8 adults). He has been awarded the National Unpaid Blood Donation Contribution Gold Award twice.
To encourage blood donation, last October, five departments including the Municipal Finance Bureau jointly issued a document stating that starting from December 2025, blood donors in Zigong who have received the National Unpaid Blood Donation Contribution Award, volunteers who have received the National Unpaid Blood Donation Volunteer Service Lifetime Honor Award, and donors who have received the National Unpaid Donation of Hematopoietic Stem Cells Contribution Award will be exempt from paying the regular outpatient examination fees (excluding expert clinics and special clinics) in public medical institutions within Zigong City.
In January of this year, Mr. Xie applied for the “Love Card”.
On February 1, when Mr. Xie tried to use the “Love Card” to waive outpatient fees at Rongxian People’s Hospital in Zigong City for the first time, the registration office staff said they “had no idea about this policy” at all. After showing relevant documents and lengthy communication, the hospital granted him a one-time temporary exemption. Afterwards, Mr. Xie called the hospital’s office to provide detailed information about the issuing department, date, and document number of the policy.
On April 11, Mr. Xie visited Rongxian People’s Hospital again, requesting to enjoy the “exemption from outpatient examination fees,” but was explicitly refused.
Mr. Xie told The Paper that what made him uncomfortable was not the fees themselves, but the policy to encourage blood donation and make it a protected right. He said, “It’s embarrassing if you don’t fulfill this right, to be honest, it’s a bit disheartening.” He worries that if the largest public Grade 3A hospital in the county behaves this way, the situation may be even worse in lower-level public health institutions and clinics.
After this incident was exposed, it immediately sparked widespread controversy on the internet.
Netizens commented, “Donating blood 109 times in 10 years, almost donating blood every month, with a total of nearly 40,000 milliliters. Such a large amount of blood must have saved countless lives. Being rejected for requesting exemption from outpatient examination fees according to the policy, isn’t it heart-wrenching for blood donors who silently contribute?”
“When it comes to expressing love, they speak eloquently, but when it’s time to fulfill promises, they pretend not to know, which is really disappointing.”
“Donating blood is unpaid when giving, but when using it, encountering various obstacles and even having to pay expensive prices, no wonder fewer and fewer people are donating blood now. It’s really sad. Just like assisting the elderly, social trust is collapsing.”
On April 13, Rongxian People’s Hospital responded, stating that the inadequate internal policy learning led to the incident and they will adhere to the policy in the future.