Tuesday 12 / November / 2024
Muscat: The Ministry of Health (MOH), represented by the Department of Blood Banks Services, in cooperation with the World Health Organisation (WHO) celebrated World Blood Donor Day, which is observed on June 14 every year.
The celebration, the theme of which this year is "Give Blood and Keep the World Beating", aimed to thank the blood donors.
On this occasion, H.E. Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Saidi, Minister of Health, praised the role of the community members in making the blood donation campaigns successful.
The Minister of Health thanked all blood donors for their efforts and called on all citizens and residents to donate blood as blood services are the key treatment for various diseases.
On his part, Dr Jean Jabbour, WHO representative to the Sultanate, pointed out that safe blood is critical to save millions of lives every year, whether in normal times or emergencies. It can help in the proper management of women suffering from bleeding associated with pregnancy and childbirth; children suffering from severe anaemia; patients with inherited disorders such as thalassemia and victims of trauma due to natural or man-made disasters.
The WHO representative to the Sultanate added that through the campaign, WHO calls on all countries in the region to celebrate and thank individuals who donate blood, and to encourage everyone, especially young people who have not donated blood, to start donating to make access to safe blood a reality for everyone in need, especially during the pandemic.
Moreover, Dr Zainab Al-Araimi, Director of Blood Banks Services, stated that this year's campaign, which comes again during the Covid-19 pandemic, highlighted the essential contribution of blood donations by young people in saving lives and improving the health of their communities.
Al-Araimi stressed in her speech that young people form a large section of the population in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. Their idealism, enthusiasm and creativity support initiatives aimed at achieving safe blood supplies through voluntary, unpaid blood donation.
