RIYADH – The Kingdom has succeeded in introducing the technology to fractionate blood plasma and is now establishing a factory to produce plasma products, announced Dr. Mohammed Khushaim, Vice Minister of Health for Planning and Development. “The benefit of this success in manufacturing this vital substance will be felt soon by the Kingdom and other Arab and Muslim countries,” he said addressing an event to mark the International Day for Blood Donation which falls on June 14 every year. Fractionating human blood plasma yields purified and concentrated proteins from which drugs or vaccines can be made. Prince Khalid Bin Bandar Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Riyadh region, launched on Sunday the national campaign for blood donation by donating blood. The event is organized by Riyadh's Health Affairs Department. The Emir urged all people to donate blood. Speaking on behalf of Dr. Ali Al Shammari, Director General of Blood Banks and Laboratories at the Ministry of Health, Director of Blood Banks Ali Al Sharif said that the ministry is very much involved in blood donation, especially that the Kingdom stopped importing blood long ago to protect the safety of its local blood stock. “To enhance blood donation efforts, the ministry has mobilized four mobile units to collect blood from donors at different locations. But we are going to expand this by securing extra 20 such mobile units,” he said. “We are not only concerned with the quantity of blood, but also with the quality by subjecting all donated blood to undergo thorough tests at 252 blood banks throughout the Kingdom,” he added. Earlier this year, the ministry said that new regulations will be announced to ensure that blood donated is free from any infectious diseases. Blood banks will be linked electronically with hospitals that treat AIDS patients and centers that do pre-marital medical checkup. An approval to collect blood will be given electronically once the donor's blood has been proved to be free from infectious diseases. However, this approval won't be final and there will be another test to ensure that the donated blood is safe and matches that of the person undergoing transfusion. Sources said the ministry will form a body to monitor the proper implementation related to donors and recipients of blood. The body will send inspectors on surprise visits to ensure these procedures are being enforced and complied with. The ministry took these measures after the infamous case of a 13-year-old girl who was given HIV-tainted blood in Jazan.
