A total of 712 people donated blood while 30 others donated platelets following an urgent message from the Central Blood Bank, which said that it is still in dire need of donors to save the lives of many patients.
Following the blood bank's urgent request for 500 donors last week to meet the needs of health institutions, corporate houses and organisations stepped in with new blood donations on Tuesday.
While extending a word of thanks to the blood, the blood bank said as a number of surgeries will be performed on a number of children in the coming days, the need for blood will only increase.
It added that a thalassemia patient needs more than 30 units of blood per year.
“Blood donation facility should be activated in health centers in all governorates to make it easier for donors to donate blood,” said a citizen, who finds it difficult to visit the main blood bank. Some citizens and residents also suggested extended hours at blood banks to help office-goers to make donations either before or after work. Making a desperate call, the blood bank has urged all citizens and residents to take the initiative and continue to donate blood.
“Generally, blood banks face difficulty in providing negative blood types. If your blood type is negative, do not delay to donate, and remember that there are many who are in need of your blood donation,” the Central Blood Bank said.
An official at the blood bank said: “We are facing a fall in the number of blood donors and in donation campaigns, and we urge the community to help restore the stockpiles to normal. One person’s donation saves many lives.”
Allaying any fears about blood donation, the Central Blood Bank said that around 450 ml of blood is collected from the donor, which represents a small proportion of the blood in a person’s body (approximately less than 10 percent of the donor’s blood volume).
Currently, the blood transfusion services in the Sultanate of Oman are organized as a Central Blood Bank (CBB), Dept. of Blood Banks Services, with the responsibility and authority to oversee all blood banking and transfusion activities in the Sultanate, and Regional Blood Banks (RBB) situated in each of the 13 regional hospitals.
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