The Abu Dhabi Health Services Company “SEHA” reiterated the importance of donating blood to save the lives of patients, and that community members should be more aware of blood donation as a societal responsibility provided by citizens and residents to serve the UAE, and that every person should think that who will need blood one day What may be himself, a member of his family or a friend of his.
SEHA confirmed that people who have been infected with Covid 19 can donate blood 10 days after the appearance of the positive result in the absence of symptoms associated with the disease, and for people who have contracted Covid 19 with accompanying symptoms, they must wait 10 days after the symptoms disappear.
Dr. Marwan Al Kaabi, Acting Executive Director of Operations at SEHA, urged community members to donate blood constantly to provide the blood bank with the necessary stock to ensure saving the lives of patients who constantly need blood transfusions, as some patients can only be treated with blood, such as patients with thalassemia and sickle cell anemia Those who need to take blood every 3 weeks, in addition to accident victims and others, as each donor contributes to saving the lives of at least three people, especially since there is no alternative to treatment except with blood.
Dr. Marwan stressed that blood donation is carried out in accordance with the highest standards approved by international bodies by achieving the highest levels of reliability and accuracy in dealing with blood units to support the strategic stock, and that the blood bank in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra is taking the necessary preventive and precautionary measures since the spread of the Covid-19 virus to ensure the safety of Blood donation operations and its derivatives to make blood donation completely safe in light of the preventive and sterilization measures followed in the health institutions of the UAE in general, and the facilities of the “SEHA” company in particular.
He said that the safety of donors and employees in the blood bank is a priority at all times, from the point of entry to exit, as safety protocols are applied, precautionary measures are followed and access to safe and high-quality health care, noting that temperature checks and hand sterilization are conducted at the entrances to blood bank facilities. Social distancing inside the facilities, wearing masks and gloves by doctors, technicians and all employees all the time, applying cleaning and sterilization procedures, wiping common surfaces periodically after each use, applying cleaning and sterilization procedures to equipment before and after use, in addition to applying the guidelines for washing and rubbing hands.
Dr. Marwan Al-Kaabi added that people who receive the vaccine against Covid-19 can donate blood without the need to wait 14 days, and there is nothing to prevent them from donating, and that people who have contracted Covid-19 can donate blood 10 days after the positive result appears in the event The absence of symptoms associated with the disease, and for people who were infected with Covid 19 with the symptoms accompanying it, they must wait 10 days after the symptoms disappear.
For her part, Dr. Huda Al Shamsi, Director of Blood Bank Services in Abu Dhabi, confirmed that donating blood is a noble humanitarian act, and is part of giving back to the UAE, its people and residents, noting that blood donation renews the activity of the donor, strengthens his body, and that a healthy person can donate blood every 56 days. . She said that the Abu Dhabi Blood Bank is the only provider of blood transfusion services in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and that it is committed to providing an adequate and safe supply of blood to all hospitals in the governmental and private emirates of Abu Dhabi, which number more than 50 hospitals, and to all other emirates in case there is a need to request blood units for critical and emergency cases. Dr. Huda Al Shamsi expressed her heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all those who continued to donate blood during the Covid 19 pandemic, as thanks to their commitment, the blood bank was able to continue providing its services and meeting the needs of hospitals and patients in a stable manner. Patient health and safety.
The blood bank services receive donors from Sunday to Friday from seven in the morning until ten at night, and the weekly holiday for the blood bank in Abu Dhabi will be on Saturday, while the blood bank in Al Ain works from Monday to Friday from seven in the morning until nine in the night and on Sunday from nine In the morning until six in the evening, and Saturday is a weekly holiday. As for the branch of the blood bank in Al Dhafra, it works from Monday to Friday from seven in the morning until four in the afternoon, and the weekly holiday is Saturday and Sunday.