Singapore Hosts Inaugural National Blood Dialogue, Challenging Youth to Creatively Tackle Youth Donor Decline
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and Singapore Red Cross (SRC) held their inaugural National Blood Dialogue, bringing together nearly 500 young voices under the theme 'Let's Talk Drip: Your Voice, Your Impact' to empower youth in shaping Singapore's blood donation future.
2 Guest-of-Honour Mdm Rahayu Mahzam, Minister of State for Ministry of Digital Development and Information & Ministry of Health, joined Mediacorp personalities Joakim Gomez and Sonia Chew for a live podcast discussion on sustaining Singapore's vital blood supply and fostering a culture of regular donation.
3 Another key highlight of the event was the Blood Advocacy Challenge, "What's the Drip?", organised in partnership with the National Youth Council. Three finalist teams presented creative solutions to inspire young people to become blood donors. All three teams received $3000 Young ChangeMakers (YCM) Grant funding to bring their ideas to life. The challenge empowered youths to develop innovative approaches for raising awareness and mobilising their peers around blood donation, helping to cultivate a new generation of donors and secure Singapore's future blood supply. Please see Annex A for the proposals from the finalist teams.
Critical Need for Blood Supply
4 Singapore faces increasing pressure on its blood supply system as demand continues to rise with an ageing population. Patients aged 60 and above now account for 60% of blood consumption, according to a study is conducted by HSA in 2023. This challenge is compounded by an increase in cancer cases, with the Singapore Cancer Registry Annual Report 2022 [Link] revealing that crude cancer incidence rates have tripled for males and quadrupled for females between 1968-1972 and 2018-2022. Cancer patients now represent 10% of Singapore's total blood usage, creating sustained pressure on Singapore’s blood supply.
5 "As Singapore's population ages, our blood supply challenges will only intensify," said Adjunct Professor (Dr) Raymond Chua, Chief Executive Officer, Health Sciences Authority. "Today's youth are tomorrow's regular donors, making their engagement essential for sustaining Singapore's healthcare system. Initiatives like today's dialogue are critical for building our nation's healthcare resilience. We will continue to actively engage our youths on how we can get them to be regular donors.”
Declining Youth Participation
6 The situation has been exacerbated by a sharp decline in youth participation. Youth donor numbers have dropped by nearly 50% over the past decade, falling from 20,400 donors in 2014 to just 10,800 in 2024. HSA and SRC aims to reverse this trend by growing youth donors to 15,000 by 2030.
7 Through extensive engagement with young people, SRC has identified key barriers preventing youth participation, including (i) limited exposure and awareness about blood donation processes, and (ii) competing priorities that position blood donation as optional rather than essential amidst academic and work pressures as well as social activities.
8 "Initiatives like the National Blood Dialogue and YouthInspire catalyse interest and conversations amongst youth about blood donation and inspire them to make their first or repeated blood donation. By sharing their views and experiences, they can take active steps to debunk myths and address fears or worries their peers may have. The personal connections the youth make also serve to inspire each other, and can go a long way in sustaining our current blood supply and securing our future blood stocks,” said Mr Benjamin William, Secretary General/CEO of the Singapore Red Cross.
Innovative Solutions for Youth Engagement
9 SRC is implementing various innovative solutions that meet young people where they are, and integrating blood donation with youth culture through partnerships with youth-centric events. In January 2025, collaboration with Invade brought blood drives to ARTBOX, a popular creative festival, attracting nearly 200 donors and engaging 100 youth volunteers in a culturally relevant setting.
10 Building on this success, SRC established a presence at the PopToy Convention by POP MART in August 2025, capitalising on the brand's rapid growth among trend-conscious youth. This roadshow engaged over 400 attendees, demonstrating the effectiveness of aligning with emerging cultural trends to reach youth demographics.
11 The organisation is also leveraging social connections by creating participation opportunities for specific interest groups, including music lovers, cartoon enthusiasts, and collectible communities. SRC's youth-led volunteer club, YouthInspire, plans to organise themed events such as Halloween blood drive and year-end celebration for music enthusiasts in the last quarter of 2025, positioning blood donation as youth empowerment and life-saving advocacy whilst fostering social connection.
12 Throughout these innovative engagement strategies, SRC ensures the fundamental life-saving message remains central, creating meaningful experiences that authentically connect with youth values of community impact, social responsibility, and collective action.
HEALTH SCIENCES AUTHORITY
SINGAPORE RED CROSS
19 SEPTEMBER 2025
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