Lawmaker Elisabeth Quat Pei-fan called on the government to step up measures to combat false information and dismiss online rumours about blood donation after the Hong Kong Red Cross said the blood inventories were running low and appealed to citizens to give blood.

In a Legislative Council meeting on Thursday, Quat from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) said she recently noticed online rumours that claimed blood donated by citizens would be given to private hospitals and sold to the mainland to generate profits.

She said the information was completely false and condemned certain people for creating conflicts and inciting hatred by using patients’ interests as stakes.

Quat feared citizens would stop donating blood and urged the government to clarify and dismiss those online rumours and strengthen measures to combat false information online.

Quat also appealed to the citizens to continue to donate blood in hopes of saving more lives.

The Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service (BTS) said more and more citizens have been donating blood since they made public calls last week when the blood inventories ran low to four-day levels.

Over a thousand citizens donated blood on Saturday and Sunday, the BTS said, and they collected 818 bags of blood on Wednesday alone, exceeding the daily target of 650 bags.

https://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news/section/4/204139/Lawmaker-tells-government-to-dismiss-blood-donation-rumours-as-inventories-on-the-rise

Category: Hong Kong