The shortage of blood is increasingly felt at the national level. As the summer holidays approach, the National Center for Blood Transfusion and Hematology of Rabat (CNTSH) seeks to intensify awareness campaigns on the importance of blood donation in order to maintain a stable supply of blood bags, said Dr. Najia Elamraoui, director of the CNTSH.
Blood transfusion centers currently have a stock of bags covering 4 to 5 days, told the press Dr. Najia Elamraoui, who estimates that this number ” does not mean that we are in a critical situation or that the stock of this substance is insufficient”.
“Rather, we are looking to sound the alarm as the summer vacation approaches, which is also considered one of the critical periods nationally and globally,” did she say.
Indeed, during the summer holidays (June, July and August), in addition to the month of September, which coincides with the start of the school year, ” people are busy with vacations and travels, and forget that there are patients who need blood daily“, notes the manager, that is why, she notes, “ we strive to anticipate things in order to maintain the stability of the blood supply and not to cause a shortage, relying on intensive awareness-raising work“.
In this sense, Dr. Najia Elamraoui called on all partners, public and private institutions and civil society to coordinate with those responsible for blood transfusion centers with the aim of organizing donation campaigns for the next four months, also emphasizing the role of the media as an essential actor which contributes to the dissemination of the culture of blood donation and the popularization of calls for donation, in particular ” during the critical period that we are approaching“.
Regarding the results of the awareness campaigns that have recently been organized, the director of the CNTSH explained that the campaign which was launched in February 2022 with the objective of reaching 1,000 bags per day in order to have a safe reserve stock and sufficient for a week (5,000 bags), ” increased the number of donors by 60% in March compared to January“.
As for the campaign organized during the month of Ramadan, in partnership with the Mohammed VI Foundation of Religious Officers, the Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs as well as the Superior Council of Ulemas, the official stressed that she was able to collect 25,000 donations of sound, against 14,000 donations during Ramadan 2021. In this regard, she expressed her satisfaction with this figure, which is the result of cooperation between the various partners and civil society, whether specialized associations in the field of blood donation or other organizations.
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