Participants during the launch of nationwide campaign by Hamad Medical Corporation for voluntary blood donation.
Doha: Without blood donors, many patients simply would not have been living today. Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Qatar Blood Services has launched a nationwide campaign sending out a message that we are all connected in Qatar. Through blood donation, each individual can contribute to a sustainable blood supply.
The campaign, which runs under the slogan ‘Qatar… It’s in Our Blood’ until April 2021, encourages citizens and residents to save a life and give blood today.
Mobile blood donation teams tour the country and the two Blood Donor Centers in operation next to Hamad General Hospital and a new location at the Surgical Speciality Center.
The aim is to entrench the culture of voluntary donation to provide adequate and safe stocks of blood in Qatar. Through mobile campaigns, new donors (first-time donors) and the youth from 18 to 25 years are more encouraged to donate blood.
To be able to donate blood, a donor must be a healthy adult, not less than 17 years of age, with no significant chronic illness or previous infections. The donor’s body weight must not be 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.
One out of every 10 patients admitted to hospitals may be in urgent need of a transfusion of blood or blood products, and there are many patients whose lives depend on blood transfusions and blood products.
“Giving blood saves lives. The blood you give is a lifeline in an emergency and for people who need long-term treatments. We need new blood donors from all backgrounds to ensure there is the right blood available for patients who need it,” Chairperson of the HMC Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Dr. Einas Al Kuwari, has said.
Though, it is true that Qatar is 100 percent self-sufficient in the sense that the country does not import any blood units from outside the country and relies entirely on local volunteer donors.
However, due to the ever expansion of health care facilities, there is an exponential increase in demands for blood supplies.
“Over the past 12 months, there have been around 35,000 voluntary blood donors who, while on par with 2019, needs to be increased as we prepare for the World Cup 2022,” said Dr. Al Kuwari.
The unit of blood donated may benefit at least three patients’ people if used as separate blood components. Patients who might benefit from the donation are many, including victims of road accidents, victims of other accidents and burns, patients with different types of cancers, patients with a blood disease or bleeding problems, pregnant or post-delivery ladies, and many others.
In Qatar, donation is safe as potential donors are carefully assessed for suitability before they can donate and ensure that the procedure carries no hazard to the donors. In light of COVID-19, even more stringent measures are in place to ensure both donors’ and recipients’ safety.
