PEOPLE of all faiths are being urged to take part in the country’s biggest blood donation drive, which takes every year to coincide with Ashoora.
Invitations to Bahrain’s churches and temples have been sent by the Naim Charity Society, which has organised the Imam Hussain Blood Donation Campaign since 2000.
“Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Baha’is and others from diverse religions and faiths are invited to enrol their names,” said board of trustees chairman Hameed Rahma, who added that the community comes together to donate blood under the banner of caring, humanity and co-existence.
Mr Rahma
Blood donations will be accepted on Wednesday from 2pm to 7pm and on Thursday from 9am to 3pm at the Naim Youth Centre.
“Around 19,000 blood bags have been collected over the past 20 years and it could have been much higher but for the outbreak of Covid-19. We had to limit the number of donors last year to 100 on each day.”
Women, who normally make up the majority of donors, were not allowed to donate on the campaign days for fear of Covid-19 spreading.
The order remains this year as virus variants continue to cause concern to health chiefs.
Campaign head Dr Fadhel Al Nasheet, however, said the ministry had agreed to increase the number of donors on both days.
Dr Al Nasheet
“This year we have managed so far to get a 50pc capacity increase on each day with 150 donors and negotiations are ongoing to get more.
“Leaders of religious communities of all faiths, who must confirm their attendance in advance, can show up along with their congregations.
A group of 70 volunteers will be present during the donation drive and 22 beds will be set up for donors on both days.
Arrangements are in process with the Bahrain Society of Sickle Cell Anaemia Patient Care to explain the importance of donating blood. Gifts and souvenirs will also be handed out to those registering and donating at the venue.
For the second consecutive year women will not be allowed to donate blood under instructions of the Health Ministry.
Dr Al Nasheet said, hopefully, by next year the campaign will return to full capacity of around 2,000 donors attending on both days.
“This was the first blood donation camp of this size and the main supplier of blood to the Health Ministry’s Blood Bank,” he added.
For further information, visit www.hussainbloodbank.org, @IHBDC on Instagram and Twitter or IHBDC.Bahrain on Facebook.
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