JINAN, June 14 -- In 2023, China witnessed a record high in voluntary blood donations, with a total of 16.99 million donations made, an increase of 5.9 percent from 2022, according to data from China's National Health Commission.

The statistics were made public at a national event held in Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province, on Friday to mark World Blood Donor Day.

Voluntary blood donations are the main source of clinical blood use in China. According to a report released by the World Health Organization, China ranks among the top globally in terms of voluntary blood donation numbers, blood quality and safety levels, and the standard for clinical blood use.

However, Wu Depei, a veteran hematologist from the eastern province of Jiangsu, warned that the country faces a blood supply-demand imbalance. "It is imperative to address the structural and seasonal blood shortages," Wu said at the event.

A senior NHC official pledged to improve China's legal system for blood donation and use management, underscoring the need to strengthen clinical blood use management in medical institutions and optimize blood utilization.

As stipulated in China's Blood Donation Law, which took effect in 1998, China encourages healthy citizens aged from 18 to 55 to donate blood voluntarily.