UAE self-sufficient in safe blood from voluntary blood donations

Ministry honours regular donors during World Blood Donor Day celebrations

The UAE has become selfsufficient in safe blood from donors, with 100 per cent of the blood supply in the Ministry of Health and Prevention coming from voluntary blood donations, a senior official has said.

This has positioned the UAE at the regional level in terms of safe blood transfusion services, said Dr Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, assistant undersecretary for Health Clinics and Centres at the ministry. He gave this assurance during the ‘World Blood Donor Day’ celebrations held by the ministry on Wednesday night.

The citizens are also among the top 96 nationalities considered to be active blood donors, he pointed out.

“Since blood can be afforded in the country by the commitment of one per cent of the population to donate, blood banks are constantly organising successive blood donation campaigns.”

Represented by the Sharjah Blood Transfusion and Research Centre, the ministry commemorated the day which falls on June 14 under the theme ‘Be there for someone else. Give blood. Share life’.

Dr Al Rand emphasised that the UAE’s annual celebration of the World Blood Donor Day is to thank the regular blood donors for their humanitarian work and to raise the awareness of community members about the importance of providing safe blood transmission methods to accident victims and patients with conditions such as thalassaemia and other anaemias.

The celebration honoured a number of regular blood donors and supporters of blood transfusion services.

The statistics of the Sharjah Blood Transfusion and Research Centre show that the number of blood units collected during 2017 and the first quarter of 2018 reached a total of 27,848.

The centre had also organised 568 blood donation campaigns with various government and private institutions in cooperation with the local blood banks.

The ministry provides blood donation services within the priority health services by providing blood units and their components for hospitals in the private and government sectors.

Safiya Al Shamsi, director of Laboratories and Blood Bank, explained the importance of this year’s theme, which highlights the significant role of voluntary blood donation systems in encouraging people to take care of each other and become socially responsible members.

The campaign also advocates listening to real-life stories of those who have received lifesaving blood through donations as a way to continuously motivate regular donors to share units of life with others, and urge healthy individuals to voluntarily start donating, especially young adults.

On an average, a one-time blood donation can save the lives of three people.