His Excellency the Minister of Health, Dr. Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah has pointed out that the Ministry of Health (MOH) carriesout several programs to encourage blood-donors, among which is implementing the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' Program granting medal for merit of the third degree for ten-time voluntary donors; and the same medal of the second degree for fifty-time blood donors.
Having opened, on Thursday, a number of mobile blood bank units, he added that there is permanent cooperation between the Laboratories and Blood Banks General Department and a host of governmental bodies; to mount campaigns for voluntary blood donation, as well as forming Blood-Donating Friends' Committee to participate in raising the awareness level of the importance of blood donation. This is to encourage donors and urge them to donate in the MOH's blood banks. Further, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has provided the central blood banks with mobile blood donation vehicles, in order to go to the places: the sporting clubs, commercial malls, and governmental and private work places, where the blood donors are gathering; to make it easier for blood donors.
Within the same vein, he pointed out that the number of the MOH blood banks is 15 central blood banks, 17 main blood banks, and 120 branch blood banks. This brings the total number of the main and branch banks to 152 ones, of which there are 24 main central banks examining all the donors' samples, in the Ministry of Health (MOH), for the diseases by means of the DNA examination technique, through the disease individual method (HIV, HCV, HBV). This is in order to ensure safety of the blood to the effect that the MOH is considered among the first governmental bodies in the Kingdom conducting this examination for all the blood donors' samples. Given that since 1405h, there has been no blood importing, in line with the royal decree suspending blood importing. On the other hand, all blood units and its components are provided by blood donors: citizens or residents, through the voluntary blood donation standing at 40%, or through the patients' compensatory blood donation, by folks and friends, as much as 50%; as well as citizens donating blood when applying for driving license amounting to 10%.
For his part, the Director-General of the Laboratories and Blood Banks General Department, Dr. Ali Bin Sa'ad Al-shemri has unveiled that four mobile blood bank vehicles have been provided as a first stage, and the second stage is underway; to secure other mobile blood bank units, according to needs. This is with the aim of meeting the needs of 24 central blood banks in the entire Kingdom's regions and governorates; in order to be used in the blood donation campaigns in the commercial and sporting gatherings, universities, secondary schools, governmental and private bodies, and in front of the mosques on the religious occasions; to facilitate it for the blood-donating seekers, and to increase the number of blood donors in the Kingdom's blood banks.
He went on pointing out that the vehicles have been equipped with air conditioners, two display screens, two medical examination rooms, pressure- measuring devices, temperature-measuring instruments, pulse-measuring devices, hemoglobin meters, blood mixer equipment, blood storage refrigerator of 50 blood-bag capacity, and a blood bag tube sealer.
He has drawn the attention that a mobile blood bank vehicle has been designated for each health directorate in the Holy Capital, Riyadh, Eastern Province, and Jazan. And the operational capacity for each vehicle is two blood donors per hour, given that there will be two vehicles equipped with three blood donor chairs, and two more vehicles equipped with six blood donor chairs.
All the more, he made clear that the cadres assigned for each vehicle will include a blood bank physician, two nursing technicians for medical examination, three blood-drawing nurses according to the numbers of bed, blood drive coordinator, and an official for administrative work, janitor, and a driver.