blood donors have always been appreciated through non-financial modalities<\/span><\/a> such as tokens of appreciation, and the introduction of Healthpoints is \u201can extension of this same spirit of appreciation\u201d.<\/p>\nIn a separate reply to ST, HSA said all donor recognition initiatives, including Healthpoints, are consistent with the WHO\u2019s definition of VNRBD.<\/p>\n
However, it did not provide details of the rewards that qualify as \u201csmall tokens of appreciation\u201d, which it has said will be announced in June.<\/p>\n
Asked how it could avoid a situation in which donors may misrepresent themselves to get Healthpoints, HSA pointed to the legal safeguards in place. <\/p>\n
\u201cAll donors are required to complete a questionnaire before every donation and make a health declaration related to their donation\u201d, said HSA.<\/p>\n
Under the Infectious Diseases Act, people who provide false or misleading information related to a blood donation may face penalties of a fine of up to $20,000 and\/or imprisonment of up to two years, upon conviction.<\/p>\n
Ethicists interviewed by ST lent their support for showing appreciation to donors with Healthpoints of monetary value.<\/p>\n
Professor Julian Savulescu, head of the Centre for Biomedical Ethics at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, said that where altruistic schemes fail to deliver sufficient supply, it can be important to incentivise donation.<\/p>\n
He cited an example of how, in recent years, Germany has moved to incentivise plasma donation, as there are sometimes shortages. <\/p>\n
He said some countries will import blood and blood products during shortages from countries that do incentivise blood donation, and that it would be better to properly control incentivisation locally.<\/p>\n
\u201cShortages of blood and blood products can be lethal. Time is money. In medicine, time is life,\u201d added Prof Savulescu.<\/p>\n
He believes that incentives should be \u201cas large as are necessary\u201d to provide sufficient supply, and that \u201caltruists can still donate for free, or donate their monetary incentives to a good cause\u201d. <\/p>\n
Dr Voo Teck Chuan, head of SingHealth\u2019s Office of Ethics in Healthcare, said that with the real risk of a blood supply shortage, Singapore needs to take proactive measures to increase supply. <\/p>\n
\u201cA modest reward framed as appreciation differs significantly from compensation equating to the \u2018full value\u2019 of donated blood,\u201d said Dr Voo, who is also a bioethicist at the SingHealth Duke-NUS Medical Humanities Institute. <\/p>\n
He said that compared with an incentive system that alters blood allocation, such as granting priority transfusions to frequent blood donors in low-supply situations, a system that continues to allocate blood based on medical need and utility would be far less ethically problematic.<\/p>\n
Dr Voo said undue influence on financially disadvantaged individuals is a legitimate concern, though this is managed through measures such as capping donation frequency and setting stringent eligibility screening.<\/p>\n
A donor can donate platelets and plasma once every four weeks, and double red cells once every 16 weeks. In double red cell donation, two units of red blood cells are taken while the plasma and platelets are returned to the donor. The intervals allow the body enough time to fully replenish its blood or blood products and ensure long-term health.<\/p>\n
A study published in the academic journal Transfusion Medicine Reviews in 2023 looked at the incentive policies for donors of whole blood across 63 countries and all 50 states of the US.<\/p>\n
The team of researchers from the Netherlands, Britain and the US found that approximately half of those countries did provide financial incentives, and 23 offered paid time off work to donors.<\/p>\n
Specifically, 28 countries, including Indonesia, Maldives, the Philippines, Poland, the United Arab Emirates and the US, offered financial incentives such as cash and tax benefits, or less traditional incentives such as vouchers for local stores and restaurants, or lucky draw tickets to win a car or a trip. <\/p>\n
An example cited was the American Red Cross Blood Services, which offered gift cards worth US$10 (S$12.70) to US$15. Its 2022 lucky draw gave out \u201cgas for a year\u201d \u2013 petrol worth US$6,000. In January 2026, the prize was a trip for two, which included tickets to the Super Bowl, airfare, three nights of hotel accommodation and a US$1,000 gift card.<\/p>\n
Checks on Singapore\u2019s Healthy 365 app showed that Healthpoints can be used to redeem e-vouchers of $1 or $5, and for MediShield Life premium discounts of as much as $580.<\/p>\n
Gestures of appreciation in the 1960s even included free beer and cigarettes for donors and lucky draws with cash prizes, according to the National Library Board\u2019s information on the National Blood Programme. Recent donation drives here have also featured blind boxes as gifts.<\/p>\n
As details on Healthpoints rewards have not been announced, their impact remains to be seen.<\/p>\n
On the one hand, if the rewards are minimal and indeed \u201csmall tokens\u201d, they may not sufficiently shift the supply needle.<\/p>\n
On the other, too high a reward could turn blood donation into a transactional relationship and potentially lead to continual increasing of the rewards in the future to meet the needs. <\/p>\n
Thus, a delicate balance is necessary when dealing with monetary incentives. <\/p>\n
Some of those interviewed had other suggestions for attracting new donors.<\/p>\n
Noting that SRC provides blood donor perks such as discounts at a hotpot restaurant chain and a bubble tea chain, Dr Chew said more of such perks could be offered.<\/p>\n
Madam Ng, who is not a regular blood donor herself, suggested sharing real-life stories of those who depend on blood transfusions to survive, or experiences of regular donors.<\/p>\n
Dr Voo said Healthpoints could be used to redeem health-related products or support charitable causes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis would better preserve the meaning of donation as an altruistic, health-giving act, whilst still providing meaningful appreciation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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