When Omani citizens and expatriates in the country celebrated the 47th Anniversary of the blessed Renaissance with gaiety and pomp in different ways, the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) Blood bank celebrated the day at the Muscat Grand Mall atrium by hosting a blood donation drive and awareness campaign on the necessity of donating the lifesaving blood.
Held in the evening and as part of a series of campaigns of the SQUH Blood Bank, the event came in collaboration with the Public Authority for Craft Industries (PACI) and the Oman Blood Donors Volunteer Group. The campaign attracted many donors and all those who shopped there from 4pm till 11pm.
“This is an event that is organised by the Blood Donation Committee (BDC) at SQUH as part of the Ambassadors Programme for the SQUH Blood Bank. We wanted to celebrate this special occasion in a way that serves the society and has an impact on our patients,” said Dr Arwa al Riyami, Chairperson for the BDC at SQU Hospital.
The campaign came also came with the participation of the SQUH blood bank ambassador Faisal Al Farsi, a well-known Omani poet.
“The SQUH blood bank Ambassador programme was established this year in collaboration with different public figures. They were selected to be ambassadors of the blood bank in order to disseminate the knowledge of blood donation and promote the society to donate blood,” Dr Al Riyami added.
The Ambassador programme includes Omani singer Salah Al Zadjali, Omani gootball team goal keeper Ali Al Habsi who also both made their own campaigns earlier this year.
The campaigns were conducted side by side with the blood donation drives to also allow donors to meet the Ambassadors.
“We have created this programme as an additional initiative to the blood drives that are conducted by the SQUH blood bank in order to promote and encourage volunteer blood donations in the society. These Ambassadors use their influence in their fields and social media to promote the campaign and ask people to contribute in this blood giving activity,” Dr Al Riyami said.
Campaigns have also seen the active participation of a number of craftsmen from the Public Authority for Craft Industries (PACI) and several painters in the country. On the sidelines of the campaign, recreational activities were held to keep the donors’ children busy while their parents donated blood.
Meanwhile, Faiza al Mousawi from Oman Blood Donors Group said that, “We have ambitious plans to contribute in bigger campaigns in the future and we are working on the various aspects to promote for blood donation and to create awareness among various communities in the country.”
“I must thank all who have contributed to the success of this event, especially the volunteers who have contributed their time and efforts, and Muscat Grand Mall for their generosity to have given their premises for such a national cause,” Dr Al Riyami said.
Kabeer Yousuf
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