Egyptians are helpful but blood reserves direly need a boost

  In a country where every 3 seconds a person needs s blood donation and where the supply still leaves us with a shortage of fifty per cent of the supply, 'save lives donate blood' marks an important initiative In October, the team members of MSD, a global healthcare leader, supported three hundred persons in need by donating a hundred sachets of blood in an effort that proved so successful and encouraging that it spurred another initiative on 17 May with the collaboration of VACSERA’s subsidiary EGYBLOOD. The second blood donation drive that was hosted by the partenership was under the name of ‘Save Lives, Donate Blood’. Ramsey Morad, MSD Egypt Managing Director emphasises the point that helping to build a culture that acknowledges the importance of regular blood donations is very important as we live in a country where one out of every three of us will need blood in our lifetime, and only 450ml of blood can save as many as four lives. In addition, Morad points out that while the initiative addresses a crucial need, it is important to raise awareness and make people realise the health benefits of donation; giving blood rejuvenates circulation, helps reduce the risk of heart disease and is a free medical assessment.  MSD is known as Merck in the United States and Canada. Although in the time of crisis the Egyptian personality has a tendency to rush to help and assist, the numbers evidence a constant shortage. Dr Hossam Fahmy, EgyBlood’s Chief Executive Officer says: “Every three seconds someone in Egypt needs blood, and every year, Egyptian patients need 2.5 to 3 million blood sachets, but unfortunately only 60 per cent of the country’s actual needs are met.” He added that although donation campaigns have been organised for many years, donations remain below target and that VACSERA receives requests of around 300 blood bags on a daily basis - almost 50 per cent of which they cannot provide due to the shortage. Challenges to be met According to VACSERA, blood donation in Egypt faces many obstacles. Dr Noha El-Sheikh, Head of EgyBlood’s Blood Bank Division insists that as Egyptians, we are quite generous with donating food and money, but we still lack the culture and awareness to donate blood regularly. “Driven by a desire to help the country, donations peaked during the revolution, but dropped again shortly after. Moreover, certain blood types are extremely scarce such as AB- and all negative types in general, posing a more difficult challenge. We urge healthy people between the ages of 18 to 55 to donate regularly three to four times a year, "says El-Sheikh. by Ingy Deif, ahramonline