MOH had exerted great efforts for developing and upgrading blood banks and relative labs in the different parts of the Kingdom, the number of banks now being 250.
KSA, currently chairing the Arab Authority for Blood Transfusion Services, pays special care to ensure the best quality standards of blood transfusion and keeping are followed. Such care aims at ensuring safety of both donors and recipients as well as securing safe blood for later uses. Blood transfusions are made only within health facilities and donors are subjected to checkups for ensuring safe transfusion.
The government supports and encourages blood donation. As per an order of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques blood donors who donate blood for ten times or more are granted the Order of Merit (Third Class), whereas those who donate blood for 50 times or more are granted the Order of Merit (Second Class).
KSA shall join the other nations of the world in celebrating the International Day of Blood Donation through a ceremony organized by the Ministry of Health on Tuesday 04/06/2006 at King Abdul Aziz Historical Center under the sponsorship of HRH Prince Sattam bin Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Governor of Riyadh Province. The efforts made in this respect come in line with a national strategy aiming at reaching sufficiency from internal blood and terminating importation from abroad.
The donation campaigns made by MOH found great response from citizens and residents, the yearly number of donors reaching about 400 thousand.
Scientific studies have proved that donors benefit greatly from blood donation. Bone marrow becomes more active in producing new blood cells, blood circulation activated, and iron constituent of blood reduced, thus minimizing the risks of heart and artery diseases.
Medical experts say no risks are involved in blood donation, the amount taken not exceeding 8% of the total blood volume of a normal adult. The body compensates for donated blood within few hours through liquid drinks. Blood cells are compensated by spontaneous renewal. White blood cells and platelets are compensated within a maximum period of one week, whereas red cells are compensated within less than one month.
Doctors say a person can donate blood one time each two or three months, provided that the number of donations per year must not exceed 5 times per year. Women can also donate but it is preferred that a woman donor must not be pregnant or breast feeding mother.