HMC operated 4 mobile sites for blood donation during Ramadan

The Hamad Medical Corporation’s Blood Donation Center operated four sites during the holy month of Ramadan, especially in the present situation (COVID-19) to reach out to donors in the nearest area they can safely donate blood and recruit more donors.

The Center organises a number of regular blood donation campaigns every week. A mobile blood donation campaign begins before the holy month of Ramadan every year, said Sadika Al Mahmoudi, Medical Manager, Blood Donation Center.

“The aim is to entrench the culture of voluntary donation in the society to provide adequate and safe stocks of blood in Qatar. Through mobile campaign, we recruited new donors (first time donors) and the youth from 18 to 25 years to remove the fear of blood donation. We went to their location to recruit and not to let them come and wait in our center,” she told The Peninsula.

“We put our plans very early (mobile campaign plans) and we worked with the Communication Department of HMC. We use a theme “One Nation through Donation” and meaning of this theme is very important and the objective is to give blood to save life to sick patients and the injured regardless of nationality but as whole nation,” she said.

Through mobile campaign, the Blood Donation Center recruit new donors (first time donors) and the youth from 18 to 25 years to remove the fear of blood donation. “We are safely following the precautionary safety of everyone especially our donors that is why we open four sites,” said Al Mahmoudi. Main donor Center in Hamad Hospital covers all areas in Doha including the Ministries, private companies, semi government institutions to donate. The Center opens in two shifts, from 8am to 12 noon and 7pm to 12midnight.

“The new branch we recently open is opposite the Surgical Specialty Center, this center is for female and platelet apheresis donation. We had a mobile camp in Al Labeeb Health Center, which covers north areas to make it easier for them to reach, and Al Wakra Hospital, which covered the south area. All these arrangements are coordinated with the Ministry of Interior to facilitate the mission of donation,” said Al Mahmoudi.

To be able to donate blood, a donor must be healthy, adult not less than 17 years of age, with no significant chronic illness or previous infections, with the body weight of not less than 50kg and hemoglobin level of not less than 13g for male and 12.5 for female. On the day of the donation, the donor must be free of symptoms of fever and coughs or any other infection and he must have adequate hours of sleep.

“Blood donation is a very safe procedure and adverse are very rare and even when occur they are usually very mild and post no threat to the donor. To ensure that the process of donation is safe potential donors are very carefully assessed for suitability before they can donate and to make sure that the procedure caries no hazard to the donors,” said Al Mahmoudi.

According to her, though, it is true that Qatar is 100 percent self-sufficient in the sense that the country do not import any blood units from outside the country and rely entirely on local volunteer donors. However, due to the ever expansion of health care facilities there is an exponential increase of demands for blood supplies.

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