King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Jeddah has introduced a new service for blood donation: mobile blood banks. The hospital has purchased a fleet of vans equipped with all necessary medical facilities and refrigerators for blood donations, officially called “Blood Donor Mobile Centers.” The vans roam the districts of Jeddah for six hours daily. They also visit schools, government agencies and districts' parks, where they call on people to donate blood. Ja'afar Khyari, supervisor of the Blood Donation Center at the hospital, said the idea was first carried out by King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh. He said the idea was a success, as some blood donors hesitate to go to hospitals, especially if they are a long way from their homes. He added that there is significant response from donors, not that the vans come to their very doorsteps. He said some procedures are performed before the donation. The hospital's staffers first register the name and personal data of the donor in a computer in the van, then they examine him or her. The donor's picture and his or her fingerprints are also taken in order to verify his or her identity. He pointed out that so far about 8,000 people have donated their blood to the vans. __
