On December 17, the National Health Commission of the Chinese Communist Party issued a public consultation draft of proposed amendments to the “Blood Donation Law,” which stated that the age of blood donors, previously encouraged to be between 18 and 55 years old, is now proposed to be up to 65 years old. Netizens criticized the Health Commission for treating the symptoms rather than addressing the root cause, saying they failed to reflect on the reasons why people are not donating blood.
The National Health Commission announced on December 17 that it is soliciting public opinions on the “Blood Donation Law (Draft for Solicitation of Opinions),” with the draft containing a total of 60 articles, an increase of 36 articles from the current 24 in the existing law.
One of the key points mentioned is the scientific adjustment of the age range of blood donors and the interval for donations. The proposal suggests changing the age limit from being encouraged for those between 18 to 55 years old to 18 to 65 years old, allowing citizens within this age range to voluntarily donate blood if they meet the health requirements.
The Health Commission’s proposed amendments quickly drew criticism from netizens, with one stating, “Is the shortage of blood due to age? So many people known to have donated blood have encountered issues where they did not receive priority when needing a blood transfusion. Who would still want to donate?” Another netizen expressed doubts about the blood donation process, believing that it is essentially profiting from people’s blood, despite the earlier belief that blood donation could help others and their own families.
“Why always treat the symptoms and never address the root cause? Can’t we reflect on why there’s a lack of blood donors? Isn’t it due to the complicated procedures for using blood, inconvenience in cross-border blood use, and a crisis of trust? Why is it always like this, never contemplating the reasons behind the phenomena! If you increase the age limit, who among the elderly would go to donate blood? Elderly people are usually in poor health. If something goes wrong with an elderly donor, who would be held accountable? This proposal is simply exacerbating the social crisis. Who will ensure the health of the blood supply? I really can’t understand what they are doing!”