Rare blood group below 0.1% of population, more than 1,300 units donated

Today, Captain Nguyen Thi Ha Mi, Deputy Director of the Training and Professional Development Center, Department of Organization and Personnel, Hanoi City Police, not only overcame her own story, but also became a "living blood bank" to help people.

In 2009, when she was still a student, Nguyen Thi Ha Mi contracted severe dengue fever and fell into critical condition. Due to having a rare negative A Rh(D) blood type, accounting for less than 0.1% of the Vietnamese population, she faced many difficulties in finding suitable blood donors. Fortunately, being saved by strangers donating blood, she was determined to continue that act of kindness.

To date, Captain Nguyen Thi Ha Mi has donated blood 15 times, including 3 times of emergency support to save patients. She also actively participates in rare blood group clubs and voluntary rapid response blood donation. Having been saved thanks to precious blood drops, Ha Mi hopes to replicate rare blood group clubs, build a nationwide rapid response network and digital database to promptly connect donors with patients in need of blood. For her, each donated blood unit is an opportunity to save life and hope for patients.

Ha Mi is a delegate participating in the program "Meeting with typical rare blood donors in 2026". The program was organized by the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion on October 31st.

The program has the participation of 150 rare blood donors, with a total of 2,400 donations, with an average of 16 donations per person. In the first 10 months of this year alone, the delegates donated more than 420 units of blood.

According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Ngoc Que, Director of the National Blood Center, the unit is currently managing more than 4,000 Rh(D) negative blood donors, including 170 foreigners, mainly concentrated in Hanoi and some northern provinces and cities.

The demand for using Rh(D) negative blood products in medical facilities is increasing. In 2025, the Center received 1,585 units of blood from 912 donors. In the first 10 months of 2026, this number was 1,329 units from 805 donors. Notably, 498 units of blood were urgently mobilized in 2025 and 420 units in the first 10 months of this year.

At the program, the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion awarded certificates of merit to 20 typical rare blood donors; the Hanoi City Red Cross Society also commended 10 individuals with outstanding achievements.

According to the International Blood Transfusion Society, blood types with a frequency of occurrence of less than 0.1% in the community are classified as rare blood types. In Vietnam, the Rh(D) negative group accounts for less than 0.1% of the population. Therefore, finding suitable donors in emergency cases is often difficult.

Through the program, the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion wishes to continue to connect and develop a network of rare blood donors, while spreading the spirit of compassion in the community. Each unit of blood donated not only contributes to saving patients but also brings hope to many families.

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