The Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service said it will raise the minimum hemoglobin level required for female donors from May 27, after the standard had not been changed for more than 30 years

The body said the minimum hemoglobin level required for female donors will be raised to 12 g/dL, up from the current 11.5 g/dL, while the requirement for male donors remains unchanged.

Dr Jacky Kong, head of the services blood collection and donor recruitment department, explained that after each blood donation, a person’s red blood cells and iron levels decrease, which temporarily lowers their hemoglobin.

He said it was dangerous for people to conduct blood donation if their hemoglobin level was too low.

“Hemoglobin is found inside red blood cells. Its main function is to bring oxygen to the various organs inside our body. If our hemoglobin is low, many of our organs will be affected,” he said.

Dr Lee Cheuk-kwong, the service’s chief executive, said it was typical for women to have lower hemoglobin than men, due to factors such as menstruation which causes iron loss.

He said the stricter requirement would defer blood donation of a small number of women and he expressed confidence any impact on supply could be offset by ongoing recruitment and promotion efforts.

“About 10 to 20 women are currently told to defer their blood donation each day due to low hemoglobin levels... We hope this minor change will prompt people to pay more attention to their health and take steps to supplement their iron intake,” he said.

Lee noted that the higher hemoglobin standard took into account data and practices from other countries before making the adjustment.