Abu Dhabi, Dec28, 2001 (WAM) -- The Ministry of Health will stop paying cash incentives to blood donors under a new policy that will be gradually implemented in all emirates, Dr Amin Hussain Al Amiri, Director of the Department of Medical Laboratories and Blood Transfusion, told Khaleej Times. "In 1990, 11 blood donation centres were paying donors, but in 1993, the ministry started closing the bank accounts of some blood banks every year. By the end of this year, the centres located at Saqr Hospital in Ras Al Khaimah , at Fujairah Hospital and at Tawam Hospital in Al Ain will stop giving financial incentives to blood donors, and by the end of 2002, only two blood donation centres, one in Abu Dhabi and the other in Sharjah, will continue to pay donors," Dr Al Amiri said on Wednesday. The ministry has paved the way for this policy by intensifying its efforts to encourage voluntary blood donations through media campaigns and through mobile blood banks that targeted families, college students and members of the general public, Dr Al Amiri said. "These efforts have proved very successful in supporting the ministry's policy. They resulted in having 65 per cent voluntary blood donations by the end of 2000 and only 35 per cent of the donors received payment, compared to the year1990 when 90 per cent of blood donors in the UAE were rewarded, and only10 per cent were volunteers. The rate of volunteer donors is expected to reach 75 per cent by this year-end," Dr Al Amiri said. Blood donors are highly appreciated and looked after by the Department of Medical Laboratories and Blood Transfusion at the MoH which takes care of donors before, during and after the blood donation to ensure their safety and the safety of the blood transfusion. Dr Al Amiri said regular blood donors are subject to regular blood tests to ensure that they are free from contagious diseases, which help minimise the risk of the transfusion process. Listing the benefits, he said blood donation improves and activates blood circulation, particularly the bone marrow. The resulting dilution in blood concentration could be of benefit to individuals with above average haemoglobin concentration. There are hundreds of researches and studies published in international journals stating that blood coming from voluntary donors is safer than that from paid donors. In the meanwhile, the Dubai Department of Health and Medical Services, feels that it is not practical at present to stop offering cash incentives for blood donors. Nadia Abdullah, an official from the Blood Donation Centre at Al Wasl Hospital, said that at present it would be difficult for the centres in Dubai to change the policy given the fact that the Thalassaemia patients largely depend on blood donations. "Sixty per cent of the donated blood goes to the Thalassaemia Centre at Al Wasl Hospital. The Blood Donation Centre also supplies some hospitals in the emirate including Dubai Hospital and Rashid Hospital in emergency cases such as accidents, bleeding cases and open heart surgeries," she said. But Mrs Abdullah hoped to receive voluntary donors in the future who will be highly appreciated not only by the centre but by the children. WAM/SA
