The Health Ministry intends to establish mobile blood donation units in various parts of the country to facilitate collection of blood from potential donors and meet blood requirements of public and private hospitals.
"We will purchase a number of vehicles for this purpose," said Ali Al-Shammari, director of laboratories and blood banks at the ministry. "The new system will allow us to reach out to donors wherever they may be," he added.
He said mobile blood units would visit shopping centers, tourist festivals, government departments and companies looking for donors. "This system will increase the quantity of various types of blood in the ministry's blood banks and meet the requirements of patients without asking their relatives to donate," Al-Shammari told Al-Sharq Arabic daily.Khaled Mirghalani, spokesman of the ministry, stressed the fact that there is no shortage in the ministry's blood banks. "We have stopped importing blood bags for the sake of protecting public health." The ministry has been collecting blood from patients' relatives in order to ensure adequate reserves, he pointed out.
Al-Shammari described blood donation as a cultural indicator of a country. "European countries collect 100 percent of blood in their banks from donors."
He said the rate of blood donation in the Eastern Province reached 62 percent and urged the media to encourage people to donate blood that can save lives.
"We would like to go to the donor instead of waiting for his or her arrival. Blood will not be sold or bought, and the only way to get blood is donation," he pointed out.
He said the ministry launches blood donation campaigns before the Haj and Umrah peak seasons to meet the growing needs. "Donation of blood during this Ramadan reached a record high," he pointed out.
Al-Shammari said not all patients are in a position to receive blood. "So we don't give those blood. But some people think it is because of a blood shortage."
Meanwhile, the director of Health Affairs in Taif said there are more than 5,000 blood units in the city. The department is using old vehicles as mobile blood donation units. "This has helped us achieve adequate blood reserves and meet the requirements of patients, especially road accident victims," Abdulrahman Karkaman said.
According to him, the blood bank in Taif has reserves to meet the requirements of several months including the coming Haj season.
Arab News
