Although China is facing a shortage of blood, the country can overcome the problem if it can motivate the public to join the donation. Only 8.7 percent of the population currently donates blood, so the potential is huge. But distrust has turned the rest away from offering their help, as they fear that their blood may be used for commercial interests, particularly since the donation process is not open to public supervision.

This is proved by a recent online survey, which found 83.8 percent of those surveyed didn't want to donate their blood due to the lack of supervision of the donation process. And while Chinese authorities have tried to motivate the public to donate their blood by providing various incentives, like including this as a criterion of selecting excellent college students, these measures haven't been able to turn things around. Patients still have to wait desperately for blood infusions as hospitals cannot satisfy the huge demands.

The Chinese people have the compassion to offer their aid. Otherwise, we wouldn't find those touching stories where netizens across the country offer help to people in urgent need of blood.

In fact, the main supply for China's blood banks comes from donations from ordinary people on the street.

Thus, China's blood shortage will be solved if authorities can be more transparent to the public about blood donation. Authorities need to not only provide the donors with information about where their blood will go and how it will be used, but also tell them why others will need to pay for the blood and how the money will be used.

This information may not cure those patients who need blood infusions, but it will heal the distrust between the public and the government, and it will ultimately save lives.

People's Daily