Sunday 19 / May / 2024
Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Health, is participating in the celebration of World Blood Donor Day, under the slogan (Donate blood, donate plasma, share life, share a lot), to educate people about the importance of donating blood to save the lives of others.
Dr. Zainab bint Salim Al-Araimi, Director of the Blood Banks Services Department at the Ministry of Health, said the number of blood units increased by 21 percent last year compared to 2021, and the number of units collected from blood banks affiliated with the Ministry of Health reached 79,706.
She added that the number of donations of blood components in 2022 in the Blood Banks Services Department reached 42,122, and the number of blood donation campaigns reached 364, indicating that 43 percent of blood donations were collected during campaigns, while 57 percent were from blood donations in the Central Blood Bank building.
She explained that the rate of voluntary blood donation in 2022 was 97 percent, of whom 77 percent were Omani donors. Among them 51 percent were new donors. The number of blood units collected at the Central Blood Bank in Bausher this year has reached 18,028 units.
She indicated that the rate of increase in the number of blood donors in the current year compared to the same period last year was 13 percent in the Central Blood Bank in Bausher, and the total number of blood donors reached 18,118. A total of 8,479 donors participated in the donation campaigns, while the number of donation campaigns reached 161.
She stated that the General Directorate of Specialized Medical Care at the Ministry of Health, represented by the Blood Banks Services Department, urges community members to contribute to the provision of safe blood units for health institutions, and encourages donors to continue donating blood throughout the year in order to maintain adequate supplies of it and achieve self-sufficiency in supplies nationwide.
The Director of the Blood Banks Services Department at the Ministry of Health, stated that there are several conditions for donating blood. The age of the donor should be between 18 and 65 years, the weight of the donor should not be less than 50 kg, and that the blood pressure should be in the normal range.
She stated that the hemoglobin level should be in the normal range, the donor should answer the questions of the blood donation form honestly.
According to the World Health Organization, blood services in many countries face many challenges in providing sufficient quantities of blood while also ensuring the quality and safety of blood. The lack of safe blood and blood products, especially in low- and middle-income countries, affects all patients, including those in need of regular blood transfusions.
One of WHO’s strategies is to help low- and middle-income countries improve the availability and quality of human plasma, in particular optimising the use of plasma from whole blood donations, and enhancing patients’ access to life-saving plasma protein therapies.
