Saleh Al-Elayani Okaz/Saudi Gazette DAMMAM — The Ministry of Health has instructed all hospitals in the Kingdom to apply strict screening of blood donors. The new instructions mean all donors will be subjected to blood tests and complete medical examinations before they are allowed to donate blood. The ministry's latest move is aimed at preventing the spread of infectious diseases and comes on the heels of the death of Amal Al-Metairi, a 22-year-old college student who died following complications from a blood transfusion and 13-year-old Reham Al-Hakami contracting HIV due to a mistaken blood transfusion at the Jazan Public Hospital earlier this year. Concerned citizens have called on the authorities to establish a central database that contains information on blood donors and apply stringent measures to ensure that donors are disease free. The proposed database will include the medical history of the donor, illnesses the donor suffered from since last donating blood and the names of all hospitals where blood was donated. “Recent deaths that were caused by tainted blood donations should not reduce the donating culture. Blood donations save the lives of thousands of patients and should not be a cause of apprehension. Mistakes happen everywhere and these mistakes should be used to avoid and correct future mistakes,” said a citizen on condition of anonymity. The Eastern Province Health Affairs Directorate said 37 blood drives were conducted by the regional blood bank in Dammam last year and a total of 12,000 units of blood were collected. Experts said blood transfusion is a complicated process that passes through several important stages. All equipment used for transporting and storing blood should be carefully monitored to avoid spoilage, expiry or contamination. “Blood should be stored immediately in refrigerators at an ideal temperature of 2-6 centigrade. Fresh plasma can be kept for 12 hours only at a temperature of 2-6 centigrade. Frozen lama is kept in freezers at temperatures of minus 40-80 centigrade,” said a blood transfusion expert.
