A Yearlong Blood Donation Campaign Has Launched in Dubai

In honour of World Blood Donor Day on June 14, authorities have launched the new initiative

Posted on

14 June 2019

| Last updated on 16 June 2019

by Rebecca Roberts

In honour of World Blood Donor Day, authorities have launched an initiative everyone can get onboard with.

Celebrated on June 14 every year, the day serves to thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood - and also aims to raise awareness for the need for regular blood donations.

This year, Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and Dubai Holding announced a yearlong blood donation campaign titled "Be the Hero. Save Lives".

The campaign will see a blood donation bus, operated by the DHA's Dubai Blood Donation Centre (DBDC), parked at Latifa Hospital and is inviting individuals interested to donate blood in Dubai to get in touch.

Before visiting, all you have to do is contact the centre on 800 342 (800 DHA), or visit www.dha.gov.ae. Working hours for the DBDC is 7.30am to 7pm, Sunday to Thursday.

The campaign aims to use the bus to reach out to members of the community, including those in Dubai Holding's business districts as well as commercial and residential communities, and key retail destinations, according to Gulf News.

How to donate blood in Dubai

In the UAE, 100% of the blood donated by donors is without monetary compensation. In 2018, over 734 blood donation campaigns were organised by the DBDC and over 65,000 blood donors donated across the country.

The DBDC receive blood donations from more than 150 nationalities, and the centre provides 50 percent of the total blood collected throughout the country to public and private hospitals.

As World Blood Day aims to remind us, the world needs enough safe blood for everyone in need - and transfusions of blood and blood products save millions of lives each year. To find out how you can donate blood in Dubai, find our complete guide to blood donations in Dubai here for your use.

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