President Chen Shui-bian received this morning the Foremost Blood Donors of 2004. Besides expressing his affirmation for their act of love, he also urged the public to make more donations in the summer when blood is in short supply.
The president said that all the Taiwanese are living on the same land and connected to the same fate. He hopes that the slogan of "donating one bag of blood to save one life" would be a common view of the people so that the love in each one could make its rounds, spreading warmth to every corner of society.
The president's speech is as follows:
I am very happy and honored to meet you, happy blood donors, here today at the Presidential Office. I would like first to express my congratulations to you, who are the representatives of the first rate blood donors. You are warm-hearted and helpful. I would like to express my most sincere respect and gratitude to you on behalf of the government and the people.
We all understand that the value of human civilization lies in people helping each other. Blood is the source of life, and giving one's blood is an act of mutual love, which is also an indication of concern to life and a feedback to society.
Ladies and gentlemen, coming from every corner of society, you not only work hard at your workplaces, but also make good use of your leisure time to donate your blood. This is an act worthy of encouraging. Among the representatives present today, there are five women. Due to physical differences, it is difficult for female donors to donate their blood for more than 140 consecutive times. However, Mrs. Yao Chiu-yun succeeded in donating her blood as many as 506 times. I would like to express my admiration and respect to you for the love and the blood you have given.
Since Taiwan promoted blood donation 31 years ago, our people have been enthusiastic in giving their blood so that the ratio of blood donated per capita has reached that of an advanced country, providing much help in upgrading medical quality and the people's health. The total amount of blood donated last year totaled 2,331,579 units. After related treatments, 5,305,798 units were given to medical establishments. The blood-giving rate of the people here are as high as 7.9 percent, far more than the five percent international threshold for a supply/demand equilibrium. On the other hand, all the blood for medical use in Taiwan has been given by voluntary donors since 1991.
Giving blood is an act of spreading love that will never end. It needs the help and participation of all the people to help those who are in need. Thank you again.
There was torrential rain in mid-June, causing floods in southern Taiwan. The reconstructions of these places are still ongoing, resulting in inconveniences to the life of most people, thus diminishing their intention to donate blood. As summer is coming, blood donations at schools are going to be temporarily halted. In order to store enough blood for the people in need at hospitals, I hope that you could mobilize yourself and your friends to donate blood.
All the Taiwanese are living on the same land and our fate is connected. I hope that the slogan of "donating one bag of blood to save one life" would be a common view of the people so that the love in each one could make its rounds, spreading warmth to every corner of society and making it a place of harmony, traditional virtues and a community of life.
After listening to the experiences of the blood donors, the president said that he thinks there are three important characters to be a blood donor. First, one must be a healthy citizen. Second, one must be a Taiwanese full of love. Third, the donors must be happy to give and to help.