Your blood is life for others
ATTEMPT TO SET RECORD: National Blood Donation drive kicks off today
The National Blood Donation campaign themed “Your Blood is Life for Others”, organised by the Ministry of Health, will be launched at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre on Tuesday.
The number of blood donors and commitments will be announced in the ceremony presided over by Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al Saeedi, Minister of Health.
The campaign will attempt to set a world record by enrolling maximum number of donors.
In order to donate blood, individuals should have their Civil ID card. Registrations will start at 9 am and continue until 5 pm.
Both regular/ new donors could donate at designated centres across governorates.
In Muscat, two centres have been set up: Blood Donation Services Department and the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The other centres are: Sultan Qaboos Youth, Culture and Entertainment Complex, Dhofar; Nizwa Cultural Centre in Al Dakhiliyah; Omani Women’s Association, South Al Batinah; Sohar University, North Al Batinah; Al Buraimi University College, Al Buraimi; College of Applied Sciences, Al Dhahirah; Ibra College of Technology, North Al Sharqiyah; and Sur Sports Complex, Al Sharqiyah.
Dr Zainab al Araimi, Director, Blood Bank Services, said, after having committed, donors will have 28 days to go through the donation process.
There will be two types of donors: those who will commit to donate within 28 days and those who donate the same day.
According to her, the highest demand is for the ‘O’ group blood as most people belong to this group.
“We are trying to stock the ‘O’ negative blood for emergencies, but the quantity is still not adequate. We would like to have more donors for ‘O’ positive,” said Dr Al Araimi.
The aims of the initiative are to add new donors, educate the community on the importance of blood donation, encourage staff in voluntary work, training in blood sampling and storage as well as measuring the readiness of medical personnel and the community in the emergency cases.