China has succeeded in setting up a national blood bank, a project
first launched from early 2002, a spokesperson for the State
Development and Reform Commission said Wednesday.
The network involves 29 upgraded provincial blood centers, 289
blood stations at the city or prefecture level and 141 blood banks
at county level in western parts of the country.
With a funding support from the central and local governments, the
network was established at a cost of 2.25 billion yuan (US$274
million), said the spokesperson.
The network helps the country to improve its quality control
capacity in collecting and supplying blood, and cut the
transmission of infectious disease through blood transfusions, the
spokesperson said.
(Xinhua News Agency May 21, 2003)