SINGAPORE – Rewarding blood donors with monetary incentives requires a delicate balance to avoid undermining the noble act.
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and the Singapore Red Cross (SRC) announced on April 15 that Healthpoints will be awarded to blood donors from the second half of 2026, as a new measure to recognise and enhance donor experience, especially against the backdrop of a possible blood supply crisis looming in 2033.
Healthpoints can be used to redeem e-vouchers for public transport or for purchases at some food outlets and supermarkets, and to redeem MediShield Life premium discounts.
Concerns have been raised about the move, including whether tying donations to rewards would risk undermining the core principle that blood donation should remain a voluntary and altruistic act.
This is the basis in Singapore, where HSA says on its website that there is a voluntary and non-remunerated blood donation (VNRBD) policy – donors donate of their own free will and do not receive incentives. This ensures donors are honest about their medical history and any high-risk social activities they may have engaged in.
“If donors were paid or given incentives, they might be tempted to withhold important information. This could put both the donor and the person receiving the blood at risk”, says HSA.
This policy is also aligned with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
WHO released a global framework for action towards 100 per cent voluntary blood donation in 2010.
It stipulated that a voluntary, non-remunerated donor gives blood, plasma or cellular components of his or her own free will and receives no payment, whether in cash or in kind, such as time off work beyond what is needed for the donation and travel.
WHO said, however, that “small tokens, refreshments and reimbursements of direct travel costs” are compatible with voluntary, non-remunerated donation, without pegging any monetary value to such gestures.
Madam Ng Cheng Hoon wrote to The Straits Times Forum page to express her concern that introducing incentives may unintentionally shift motivations, and financially constrained individuals may feel pressured to donate in exchange for the rewards.
Speaking to ST, the homemaker in her 60s said that even if the rewards are low in monetary value, people may over time view donation as an act for a benefit, rather than out of goodwill, and “this could slowly change the spirit of giving”.
Senior public health physician Chew Suok-Kai expressed similar concerns and added that the Human Organ Transplant Act explicitly prohibits the trading of organs and blood.
Dr Chew had served as the deputy director of medical services at the Ministry of Health, and was a senior adviser at the ministry when he retired in 2022. The director of medical services, now redesignated as director-general of health, is the nation’s chief medical adviser.
“If the rewards can be monetised, this is akin to buying and selling blood, regardless of its dollar value,” said Dr Chew, who noted that the small tokens of appreciation given to donors now, such as medallions, are not directly monetisable.
HSA and SRC explained in their forum letter reply that blood donors have always been appreciated through non-financial modalities such as tokens of appreciation, and the introduction of Healthpoints is “an extension of this same spirit of appreciation”.
