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New Egyptian blood donation initiative launches on Facebook As the shortfall of blood donations in Egypt continues, Ahram Online investigates the latest initiative aiming to link donors with those in need
Almost a year ago, Ahram Online shed light on the problem of blood donation shortages in Egypt. At the time, Dr Hossam Fahmy, EgyBlood's chief executive officer, said Egyptian patients need 2.5 to 3 million blood sachets every year, but only 60 per cent of the country's actual needs are met. A year on, the gap between demand and supply is still substantial, and without initiatives and campaigns organised by VACSERA, Resala charity organisation, Egyptian blood bank , Vodafone, and others, the gap could have widened even further. A stark example of people in need of continuous blood transfusions are thalassemia patients who suffer from a disorder in which blood haemoglobin drops drastically. According to the Ministry of Health, they make up an astounding 9 percent of the population, one of the highest in the world. Another example are Hepatitis C patients who make about 10 percent of the population, according to the National Centre for Liver and Communicative Diseases, two percent of whom need blood transfusions on regular basis. Dr Wafaa El-Akel, executive manager of the HCV Patient Registry, tells Ahram Online that Egypt has the highest proportion ofHepatitis C patients in theworld. Some charity initiatives have used social media to present online databases of participants' blood types and match them with those in need. 'Law3andakDam' was a pioneering initiative in that regard, and now a new initiative is also gaining momentum. Ahram Online spoke with the founder of 'What's your blood type? (People living in Egypt)', the latest social media initiative which is proving quite successful with thousands signing up. “I thought of creating this group in order to serve others, especially people in emergency situations who need immediate blood donations,” Mohamed Sabry says. Sabry, an AUC graduate and a marketing manager at a multinational petroleum company, decided to utilise his contacts from university and charities to support people during difficult moments and emergencies The urge gained momentum a couple of years ago after his father's uncle require blood and Sabry was able to obtain it by utilising social media such as BBM and WatsApp. Afterwards, he decided to establish a database via Facebook called 'What's your blood type? (People living in Egypt)', allowing each member to identify his/her blood type and share it in order to be contacted when a donation is needed. Sabry stresses that although there are several NGOs doing this work, sometimes they don't have immediate donors for certain blood types and this is one of the main reasons why he created the group. The response was immediate and the group quickly grew in size. Group members and administrators have utilised the database on many occasions. “I've witnessed several urgent cases, some of which were very late at night, and when we contacted a group member with the same blood type, there was an immediate response. We had young women going down with their parents late at night to donate blood," says Sabry. Regarding collaboration with official health bodies, Sabry says: “We would welcome such cooperation because we are willing to do anything that helps people in need. This work is of great honour to all who contribute.” To donate: Call Vacsera at 37611111 ext. 1322 or 1324. Resala Charity organises a blood donation campaign the first Thursday of each month. Call Egyptian Blood Bank at 01099916139. To visit 'What's your blood type? (People living in Egypt)' go to: https://www.facebook.com/groups/125067797557167/. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/81250.aspx
