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To maintain a sufficient blood inventory constantly, Hamad Medical Corporation’s Qatar Blood Services (QBS) often calling for blood donations and in an encouraging move has seen more youth showing an interest in donating blood.
Blood Transfusion Services keeps blood inventory under continuous monitoring with defined desirable stock inventory for each blood group and when there is a shortage of any blood group, QBS calls for donation.
“The citizens and residents of Qatar have always been generous blood donors. In every instance a call for blood donation was made, we have a tremendous response both from regular donors and first-time donors. In recent times the youth in the community have taken a keen interest in donating blood, this is an encouraging move,” Executive Director, Transfusion Medicine Division, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Dr. Aysha Ibrahim Al Malki told The Peninsula.
“This selfless act of blood donation has assisted in the care of the women during pregnancy and childbirth; severely anaemic children; patients suffering from blood and bone marrow disorders; those with disorders of haemoglobin, victims of trauma, emergencies, disasters and accidents; as well as patients undergoing advanced medical and surgical procedures,” she added.
QBS is the sole entity for collection and distribution of blood and blood products for all hospitals and healthcare clinics in Qatar.
According to Dr. Al Malki, QBS has a vast number of dedicated voluntary donors and the need to maintain a sufficient blood inventory constantly is the main reason for often calling for blood donations.
“However, some blood types are rare (especially Negative blood groups) and stocks tend to be used up faster. Additionally, platelets (a blood component) used in case of accidents or massive injuries have a limited shelf life of 7 days only.
It is essential to collect fresh platelets continuously,” she said.
“On most occasions QBS tends to request for donation of O+ and O- blood types, this is due to this blood group being the universal type that is used for massive transfusion during accidents and sudden bleeding etc. Adequate supplies of those blood types are continuously provisioned to be stocked in all hospitals in Doha in case of emergencies and in various sections of HMC including Surgical Department, Trauma and Emergency Center, or at Women’s Wellness and Research Center,” she added.
