Donors now will not have to go to a hospital to give blood to needy patients. Recently, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center launched a mobile blood donation clinic to collect blood from willing donors. Dr. Jaffar A. Aziz Khairy, supervisor of the blood donation center, told Saudi Gazette that all facilities available at the hospital for blood donors are provided in the mobile service. “There is no harm or risk involved in giving blood at the mobile center as the blood collecting procedure is the same as it is in the hospital,” he explained. “Through this center, we will give accessible service to the people who want to donate their blood but are afraid of going to hospital,” he said. When people are able to donate blood easily in a safe environment without going to a hospital, they come forward willingly”, he said. The mobile center will visit government offices, PR departments, different companies, malls, universities and high schools. The young generation is very health conscious and young people have shown a lot of enthusiasm for helping others, he said. “Our youth are now aware that there is no harm in donating blood, in fact they are aware that donating blood is beneficial for their own health,” he said. The mobile center collects almost 50 units of blood staying a maximum of 4-6 hours at a given location. “We can't keep the blood for long after collecting it, we have to go back to the hospital for processing of the blood,” Khairy explained.
