The Ministry of Health has announced the provision of ambulances for the transmission of blood and blood products among the hospitals of the Holy Places, with the aim to meet the need for blood in any quantity whenever necessary as fast as possible.
Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Omar, Director-General of the MOH Laboratories and Blood Banks, and Head of the Technical Supervision Committee of Laboratories and Blood Banks during Hajj, has revealed that this move comes as part of the Ministry's endeavors to transmit blood and blood products of whatever blood-group required to the hospital in need of it. He further pointed out that the Makkah blood banks contain 16.000 units of blood and blood products, in addition to considerably large quantities of blood in the laboratories and blood banks of Jeddah and Al-Taif for use in emergency cases.
Dr. Al-Omar added that the Ministry of health has introduced, for the first time, an advanced technology for rapid testing of heart attacks, by taking a blood sample and examining it within no more than 10 minutes, thereby helping avert complications.