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Doctor warns against public pleas for rare blood types after actress's appeal

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Actress "Tien" (Xiao Xian) posted an urgent request on social media seeking a rare blood type (A Rh-negative) for a critically ill relative.
  • Physician Chen Chih-chin cautioned that such public appeals, while well-intentioned, can overwhelm medical facilities and hinder actual blood transfusion processes.
  • Chen explained that Taiwan has a robust emergency blood allocation system and urged the public to trust official channels rather than initiating "blind calls" for donations online.

Actress "Tien" (Xiao Xian) recently posted an urgent plea on social media, revealing that a close friend or relative is in critical condition and requires a rare A Rh-negative blood type, which the hospital's blood bank reportedly lacks. The actress's appeal quickly gained traction online, highlighting the challenges of sourcing scarce medical resources.

However, Dr. Chen Chih-chin, from the Intensive Care Medicine Department at Chi Mei Hospital, responded by cautioning against such public appeals. While acknowledging the actress's good intentions, Dr. Chen pointed out that the post contained unclear information that could lead to societal misunderstandings about blood transfusions and donation processes.

Dr. Chen explained on Facebook that blood cannot be used immediately after donation. Collected blood must undergo rigorous laboratory testing at the blood center for infectious diseases like AIDS, blood type reconfirmation, and antibody screening, a process that takes hours or even one to two days. Blood used in emergencies is always pre-tested "stored blood" from the blood bank, ensuring its safety.

Blind public appeals often turn into 'doing good deeds that turn out bad,' paralyzing frontline medical care.

— Chen Chih-chinPhysician Chen Chih-chin's warning about the negative consequences of public appeals for rare blood types.

He further clarified that Taiwan possesses a comprehensive "national emergency dispatch mechanism." All medical institutions and the Taiwan Blood Foundation (regional blood centers) are interconnected. If a patient experiences massive bleeding requiring rare blood types, hospitals can directly request emergency allocation across regions and even between institutions. The Blood Foundation also maintains a registry of donors with rare blood types, proactively contacting eligible individuals when stock is low. Therefore, family members do not need to "blindly search for people online."

Dr. Chen emphasized that public appeals, even with good intentions, can be counterproductive. A surge of calls from well-meaning individuals, many potentially unqualified, can flood hospital switchboards, emergency rooms, or blood banks. This overwhelming influx can severely disrupt the workflow of frontline medical staff, delaying their communication with official blood allocation channels and potentially impacting the care of other critical patients. He advised that the most effective approach is to trust the established medical and blood donation systems and to support them through regular, official donation channels.

The most correct approach is to 'trust the medical team and the blood center's allocation system.'

— Chen Chih-chinDr. Chen's advice on how to handle situations requiring rare blood types.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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