Japan attracts blood donors with perks 日本以「好康」吸引民眾捐血

Now when blood donors give blooin Tokyo, they can expect more than just cookies. They can also have their fortunes told, get a hand massage or receive fashion advice.

To encourage blood donations, the Japanese Red Cross Society has been offering extra perks to increase its donations.

While donors can still enjoy the usual cookies and televisions at Tokyo's 13 donation centers, they can also look forward to being pampered.

At one donation center in Tokyo, the Red Cross has been offering manicures and hair-care advice for 10 years while another booth began telling people's fortunes. At one center this spring, a woman dressed as a French maid gave 10-minute hand massages after blood donations.

The effort has been paying off. The number of returning donors has gone up, especially on the day of the fortune telling.

Japan is experiencing a fall in blood donors. Their numbers have dropped from 7.21 million in 1993 to 5.62 million in 2003, the Red Cross said. The nation could face blood shortages in the near future if it doesn’t find more donors.

"We are well aware that there is a limit to relying only on people’s voluntary action to donate blood," said Yukio Yazawa of the Red Cross, "but we hoped that introducing some entertainment would provide a bonus, and it has proven successful." (DPA)

現在東京民眾捐血不只能拿到小餅乾，還可以算命、做手部按摩或接受時尚建議。

為鼓勵民眾捐血，日本紅十字會一直以提供額外的好處來提高捐血量。

在東京十三個捐血中心內，捐血者除了可以享用一般的餅乾，看電視外，更可期待被榮寵的感覺。

紅十字會在東京一處捐血中心提供指甲美容和髮型建議長達十年，而另一處捐血站則開始幫民眾算命。今年春天，一處捐血中心有女性打扮成法國女傭，在民眾捐血後提供十分鐘的手部按摩。

這項努力有了成果。捐血民眾回流人數提高，算命日更是門庭若市。

日本目前捐血者的數量有下滑的情況，紅十字會表示，捐血者人數從一九九三年的七百二十一萬人降至二○○三年的五百六十二萬人。若不找到更多捐血者，日本不久將面臨血源短缺的現象。

紅十字會的矢澤由紀夫（譯音）表示︰「我們非常了解光靠民眾自願捐血是有限的，不過我們希望帶進一些娛樂做額外的鼓勵，事實證明這行得通。」



（德通社/翻譯：鄭湘儀）