DHA concludes 'My blood, for my country' campaign at Expo 2020 in Dubai

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) concluded the 10th edition of 'Dami Le Watani' ('My blood, for my country') at Expo 2020 Dubai on Monday. The blood donation campaign was launched in June under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Rashid bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council.

The closing day of the campaign saw the presence and donation of Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohamed bin Rashid bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Committee for Crisis and Disaster Management, during his visit to the campaign site at Expo 2020.

Dr Mai Raouf, director of DHA's Dubai Blood Donation Centre, said, "We decided to hold the closing day of the campaign at Expo 2020 Dubai, to develop social awareness about the importance of blood donation, be it from citizens, residents or foreign communities living in the UAE."

"The tenth edition of the campaign, which was launched in June, has proven its success by attracting more than 17,000 donors and collecting around 17,000 units of blood from eligible donors," he said.

"Every bag of blood given by a donor contributes to saving three lives, so it is always important to raise awareness of the importance of donation and encourage people to participate in such a noble and humanitarian act," he added.

Mai stated that there is a high participation of Expo 2020 visitors of different nationalities in the donation bus, noting that more than 32 government agencies participated in more than 450 campaigns created in the past six months.

He explained that the campaign is carried out in collaboration with Al-Ameen Service, Emarat al-Youm newspaper and DHA. He also witnessed great cooperation from the private sector and charities that encouraged their employees to donate. The Blood Donation Centre allocated three well-equipped buses with the latest instruments for the collection of blood units, while 110 employees, doctors and nurses participated in the campaign.

He also emphasised that the Dubai Blood Donation Centre covers the urgent needs of DHA hospitals and around 41 private hospitals in the emirate, in addition to meeting the needs and requests of the Thalassaemia Treatment Centre (CDC), as well as supplying blood banks in the UAE when needed.

Text, photos and video: Expo Dubai 2020.