The drop in clinical blood supplies has affected many regions of China. It has also caused big problems for patients waiting for operations. The blood shortage has affected areas including Beijing, and provinces of Shandong, Shanxi, Gansu, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Hubei and Yunan.

Blood shortage situation across China.[File photo]

In Beijing, hospitals have had to postpone surgery and other procedures such as blood transfusions. In Qingdao city in Shandong Province, the blood center has issued the highest blood security alerts in decades. This means the levels in the blood bank won't last more than three days. In Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu Province, the blood shortage has been going on for ten months, especially for types A and O blood.

The situation is even worse in Kuming, capital of Yunan Province, where patients have to find blood donations themselves. The blood demand in Kuming accounts for a third of the total demand in Yunan Province. To make matters worse demand is increasing by 10 percent every year.