The health ministry urges private hospitals to promote voluntary blood donation even as it continues to make progress in recruiting more donors.

According to a press release the National Blood Transfusion Services had collected 5,643 units of blood by the end of November. It accounted for 82% of the blood collected this year. Sixty-seven per cent of the blood collected was from voluntary donors. The other public hospitals accounted for 760 units of blood of which only13% was from voluntary donors.

Private hospitals collected 524 units of blood, none from voluntary donors.