Saudis urged to donate blood as pandemic hits stock levels worldwide

Faced with the resulting shortages, health authorities in Saudi Arabia are keen to boost the Kingdom’s blood stock levels

Jeddah, The Gulf Observer: Health systems the world over have been stretched to their absolute limits by successive waves of COVID-19, which have resulted in crowded hospitals, delayed medical procedures, and doctors and nurses becoming exhausted and overstretched.

A secondary consequence of the global health emergency has been the depletion of blood stocks required for life-saving transfusions, use during surgeries, and to treat medical conditions such as anemia, cancer and blood disorders.

Lockdown measures and strict controls on attending hospitals have prevented many people from donating blood. Even when restrictions have been lifted, COVID-19 infections and the fear of infection have kept a swathe of potential donors at home.

Faced with the resulting shortages, health authorities in Saudi Arabia are keen to boost the Kingdom’s blood stock levels, which need to be constantly replenished to meet demand.

“There is an increased need for blood. (The situation has) worsened around the world due to the pandemic. The call is constant,” Dr. Maha Badawi, a hematology consultant and the director of blood transfusion services at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah, told Arab News.

“COVID-19 negatively impacted blood supply globally and the problem was due to several factors. Although COVID-19 isn’t transmitted by blood, COVID-19-positive patients and individuals who were exposed to positive cases were required to isolate for periods of time to curb the spread of the infection.

“Another impact was the social-distancing measures. Mass campaigns and initiatives were suspended, restricting the number of donors in turn.”

As a result, Saudi Arabia is now experiencing a shortage of type O in its stocks of red blood cells, and type AB in plasma stocks.

A retrospective study by King Abdullah Hospital in Bisha revealed a 39.5 percent decrease in donations to blood banks during the pandemic. Demand for blood also decreased during the same period, by 21.7 percent, probably as a result of the many surgeries that had to be canceled.

A study titled Awareness About Coronavirus and Challenges for Blood Services among Potential Blood Donors, published in 2021 in the medical journal Transfusion and Apheresis Science, used survey data drawn from a cross-section of the Saudi population to assess the factors that had prevented people from donating blood.

It found that social-distancing measures, misinformation about ways in which the disease can be transmitted, and a lack of knowledge among potential blood donors may have contributed to the prevalence of missed or postponed donations.

The majority of people surveyed said they were concerned about the virus being transmitted during the blood-donation process. Others were worried about coming into contact with fellow donors.