Chinese blood donation policy stirs controversy

By Jeong Ji-su

New blood donation incentives offered by a Chinese province are stirring controversy, China Daily reports.

Under guidelines established in July by Pujiang country in Zhejiang province, students reportedly receive extra points on exams if their parents donate a certain amount of blood.

The debate started after an online blogger wrote: “My future son, you can take your high school entrance exam with a free mind; your father has donated enough blood to get bonus points for you.”

The points are determined according to China’s system for categorizing donations: Golden, Silver and Bronze for 8000, 6000, and 4000 milliliters of blood, respectively. The donor’s children get three, two and one extra points, respectively.

While some condemn the rule for being unfair, Zang Guobin, director at the Health bureau in Pujiang country, thinks the public is overreacting.

“Those who are eligible for the extra points are really rare in our country. The whole point of this policy is to encourage more people to donate blood,” he said.