Blood donation quotas are expected to end in Beijing this year after being in operation for nearly eight years.

Suo Liansheng, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress, made the remark at a press conference on Thursday.

The Regulations on Mobilizing and Organizing Beijing Citizens to Donate Blood, which took effect in 1998, encourage voluntary blood donation and urge governments of various levels to set blood donation quotas for social institutions and work units in the city.

Given the huge clinical demand for blood in Beijing, it was unrealistic to cancel the quotas in a short period of time, Zhang Yin, an official with the Legal Affairs Committee of the local legislature, was quoted as saying by Friday's Beijing News.

"However, with the improvement of residents' awareness to voluntarily donate blood, we are able to cancel the quotas," Zhang said.

China's Law of Blood Donation, which became effective on Oct. 1, 1998, encourages voluntary blood donation.

Ninety-five percent of blood collected for clinical use in China last year came from voluntary donation, according to the Ministry of Health.

Figures released by the ministry show that voluntary donation rose by seven percent in 2005.

In central China's Henan Province, all of clinical blood use resulted from voluntary donation. Only 75.46 percent of blood demand in Beijing was met by voluntary donation, leaving the capital 22nd on the list revealed by the ministry.

Voluntary donation is believed to be the safest way to obtain blood. Experts say viruses like HIV and hepatitis are very unlikely to be transmitted through voluntary donation.

But payment for blood is still seen in parts of the country and some local governments set quotas for voluntary donation, according to officials with the ministry.

The ministry will continue to promote voluntary blood donation in the coming years, in a bid to expand a stable source of blood donation and eliminate the purchasing of blood.

(Xinhua News Agency March 3, 2006)