Age Limit for Blood Donations Plans to be Raised to 70|捐血年齡限制擬鬆綁 70歲以下可捐血

Due to the impact of being an aging society and the low birth rate, the number of blood donors has fallen in recent years. Blood inventory keeps falling as well. To prevent the number of blood donors from falling even more, the Taiwan Blood Services Foundation has for the first time in 18 years relaxed regulations to allow older people to donate blood. In the future, anyone under the age of 70 that has a record of donating blood within the last two years and that has seen a doctor in the last year will be able to continue donating blood. The new measure could go into effect on a trial basis as soon as the end of the year.


Sixty-seven-year-old Mr. Wang has been donating blood for over three decades. He eats a low-fat, low-sodium diet and exercises daily. Now retired, he still donates blood twice a month.

...because when you come here to donate blood, many people are turned away because they eat a high-fat diet. That's actually really humiliating.

Under current regulations, only people between the ages of 17 and 65 can donate blood. Those over 65 have to get medical approval from a doctor every time they want to donate blood and are limited to donating 250 c.c. of blood three times a year. As not every blood donation station has a doctor on staff, donors that are over 65 are often sent home. Due to Taiwan's low birth rate and falling blood supplies, the Taiwan Blood Services Foundation is planning to raise the age limit. In the future, anyone under 70 that has donated blood within the past two years and seen a doctor once within the past 12 months can donate blood. The change could go into effect before the end of the year.

These frequent blood donors have actually been donating (blood) for a very long time. They keep themselves in very good health.

We encourage young people in Taiwan to donate blood and they remain our target. Will we, then, assess the possibility of lowering health standards and relaxing age restrictions for blood donors in the future? It will depend on our medical needs.

According to statistics, the number of blood donations in Taiwan fell from 1.75 million in 2014 to 990,000 in 2017. Over 10,000 of the donors were over 65, with six experiencing mild lightheadedness. The Food and Drug Administration says the government continues to target young people as blood donors and it will not change the age limit for now.



67歲的王先生是30多年的資深捐血人，平日三餐飲食很清淡，每天都保持運動，即是現在已經退休了，還是保持每個月、固定捐血兩次的習慣。

資深捐血人 王先生表示：「因為來這邊捐血，很多人因為吃得過油被打回票，其實那是很丟臉的事情。」

由於現行法定捐血年齡為17到65歲，超過65歲者，每次捐血都得經醫師評估，而且一年只能捐三次，每次250CC，但並非每個捐血據點都有醫師，常有65歲捐血人被拒於門外；另外也考量少子化因素，血液庫存量下滑，台灣血液基金會打算鬆綁捐血者條件，只要70歲以下長者，兩年內曾有捐血紀錄，只要經過一次醫師面談，就可繼續捐血，最快年底試辦。

台灣血液基金會公關處長 黎蕾表示：「這些忠誠的捐血人，其實他們捐了非常的久，他們本身身體的健康狀況，也是維持得非常好。」

食藥署藥品組科長 黃玫甄表示：「我們就是鼓勵，國內的年輕人捐血為主，那未來是不是評估要放寬，捐血者健康標準年齡限制，需要視我們的醫療需求。」

而根據統計，近年來全國捐血人數逐年下降，從2014年的175萬人次，到2017年只剩下99萬人次，其中超過65歲的捐血者，有1萬多人次，只有6人發生輕微頭暈。食藥署強調，國內仍以鼓勵年輕族群捐血為主，暫不考慮修改捐血年齡限制。