The Road to the Establishment of a Free Blood Donation System in the 1970s, Tokyo

The Road to the Establishment of a Free Blood Donation System in the 1970s, Tokyo

In Tokyo in the 1970s, the spread of the blood donation system and the problem of blood sales were the focus of social attention. The widespread practice of blood selling became a social problem due to the unsanitary environment and the risk of blood-borne diseases. This was largely due to the economic poverty of those who engaged in blood selling.

The introduction of free blood donation was a groundbreaking attempt to solve these problems. In particular, the "Love Blood Drive" by the Japanese Red Cross Society in 1970 was a successful public awareness campaign that gradually led to a shift from blood sales to free blood donations. Blood donation rooms and mobile blood donor vehicles appeared in Tokyo, and in 1974 marked a turning point in the nationwide spread of free blood donation.

On the other hand, the problem of blood with a risk of infectious diseases, known as yellow blood, caused many patients and health care workers to be affected. This led to stricter blood control, and in 1978, new legislation was enacted to guarantee blood safety. This sequence of events resulted in a significant increase in social awareness of blood donation and laid the foundation for today's safe blood donation system.

The establishment of free blood donation in Tokyo in the 1970s was the culmination of efforts to overcome social challenges. The efforts of this era have become the cornerstone for improving medical safety and protecting the health of citizens.