About 35 percent of blood donors at King Fahd Medical City (KFMC) are women. They include university students, professors and others between 19 and 26 years of age, said Abdul Majeed, KFMC Blood Bank Coordinator. Around 35 of the 100 blood donors that visit KFMC on a daily basis are women of various nationalities, Majeed said Saturday while announcing the launch of a week-long mobile blood donation campaign in the capital. The Mobile Blood Bank will be located at Carrefour Stores near Al-Badiya District everyday between 5 P.M. and 10 P.M., he said. “Awareness of the importance of blood donation is increasing in Saudi Arabia. Men and women of various nationalities, including Saudis, Syrians, Yemenis, Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, among others, visit the hospital's blood bank to donate blood on a regular basis,” said Majeed. He said KFMC has been conducting the mobile blood donation campaign throughout the year by visiting people at coffee shops, and students and teachers at university campuses. Recently, 45 students and teachers from Princess Noura University for Girls donated blood, he said. KFMC intensifies the blood donation campaign during Ramadan and Haj, as pilgrims from across the world start to arrive in Saudi Arabia on Umrah and Haj, the annual pilgrimage, he said. He said KFMC is preparing to send 200 units of blood to the Central Blood Bank in Makkah for emergency use. The blood donation timing at the hospital during Ramadan, the holy fasting month, will be from 8 P.M. to 3.30 A.M., he said. Moreover, a large number of social organizations run by various expatriate groups have been organizing blood donation campaigns, he said. Majeed said Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamaath (TNTJ), an Indian expatriate social organization, spearheaded a blood donation campaign Friday with around 300 people of various nationalities, mostly Indians, visiting KFMC to donate blood. “It was the ninth such campaign organized at this time of the year by social organizations that also include expatriate groups, such as Filipinos and Sudanese,” he said. The blood groups that are highly in demand include O-negative, and O and A-positive, he said. “Only one in 20 persons has the O-negative blood group,” he added. Faisal Mohamed of TNTJ said his organization teamed up with KFMC in the campaign. “Around 90 liters of blood were donated by people, mostly from the Tamil-speaking community from India. They also pledged to donate blood on a regular basis,” he said.
