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ULAN BATOR, Jan.3 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia on Friday celebrated National Blood Donation Day, which was first marked in 2009.
"The national event aims to increase public awareness of the importance of voluntary blood donation and the need for safe blood and blood products," Namjil Erdenebayar, general director of the National Center for Transfusion Medicine, told Xinhua.
There are 18 blood donations per every 1,000 inhabitants in the country's capital Ulan Bator, said the official.
"In rural areas, however, there are five donations per 1,000 people. This is due to the fact that demand for blood products in rural areas is relatively low," he said.
More than half of the country's 3.2 million population live in the capital.
