Dubai, UAE, June 20, 2018: Sharjah Blood Transfusion and Research Centre held its annual blood donor appreciation event in light of this year’s World Blood Donor Day, which coincided with the start of Eid al-Fitr. This event marks a day to thank and highlight the top blood donors across the UAE and thank them for their support to patients in the country.

Dr. Hussein Al Rand, Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health and Prevention, was keen to highlight how important blood donations were for all emergency and in-patient clinical services. He explained that approximately one out of four people who enter a hospital need blood, which means that the demand is growing faster than the collection rate.

“Because the need for blood is constant, so is the need for donations. Blood donors contribute to saving thousands of lives each year, in both routine and emergency situations. They help raise awareness around this need, motivate regular blood donors to continue giving and inspire non-donors to start doing so. Given that one pint of donated blood can help save around 3-5 lives1, with blood donated by just one percent of the population able to meet a nation’s most basic requirements, blood banks are naturally keen to organise more opportunities for donations,” he said.

“We want our communities to be safe and healthy and we want them to support us, as well as one another - that is why we encourage more people to come forward and donate blood regularly. This is something that has particular resonance this year as it is the Year of Zayed. The Founding Father constantly emphasised the importance of having strong community values as these are the foundations for a healthy and inclusive society,” said Safiyeh AlShamesi, Director of Sharjah Blood Transfusion & Research Center

According to the World Health Organization, 62 countries around the world collect 100 percent of their blood supply from voluntary and unpaid donors, making volunteers a valued and important source of blood donations. A study by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) however, has shown that many people in the UAE have demonstrated reticence around donating blood, which has prompted the blood bank to increase its efforts at securing top-notch, safe, reliable and speedy measures for blood donation.

This year’s edition was supported by the partners who share the mission of serving patients across the UAE such as its diamond sponsors Emirates Transport, Roche Diagnostics Middle East FZCO, and Varieties Medical Supplies.

RDME has taken the unprecedented move of being the first IVD Company to have a Management Centre and a logistics hub in the Middle East. RDME has extended its ownership of the entire supply chain, quality control and customer support all the way into the centre of the region. This base of operations reinforces the commitment to global Roche standards and is driven by a full team of vastly experienced specialists offering a complete portfolio of services. With this regional empowerment, RDME has moved its leadership and decision-making closer to its customers and distributors. These investments allow Roche Diagnostics Middle East to develop from being a supplier into becoming the preferred IVD partner for its customers. RDME offers a complete portfolio of services in 16 countries: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Yemen, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt, Libya and Maldives. For more information, please visit

The Sharjah Blood Transfusion Centre has become one of the biggest centers, developing into a reference resource for the region. There are 8  blood banks all over the UAE, and all eight centers function under the same laws and systems and are accredited internationally. In 2000, the Department of Blood Transfusion Services became the first of its kind in the region to be granted ISO-9002 from BSIUK, and ever since it has maintained this status year after year. Quality services have greatly improved safety criteria in blood transfusion technologies. Moreover, the Department has contributed to plans of the World Health Organization (WHO) for quality assessment in the science of immunology. A report by the American Blood Banks Organization, seeded the UAE among the top ten countries using the white blood cell extraction technology at a rate of 100 % within the context of the services offered by its blood banks. The Sharjah Blood Transfusion Centre is a winner of 22 merit certificates from 1991 to date.

References

1. Dubai Health Authority: Facts About Blood (Website)