Dubai UAE: New eligibility criteria for blood donors in the UAE could result in a massive decline in the number of people who can donate, fears an NGO which regularly conducts blood donation camps.
Currently, the UAE is said to be self-sufficient in blood and its components, thanks to its 100 per cent voluntary, non-remunerated blood donation programmes.
“But I am worried that there will be a massive decline in the number of eligible donors because of the new donor criteria [on foreign stay and travel]. Our blood donation camps on Thursday evenings at Ibn Battuta Mall used to get 90-100 successful donations earlier. Now, we are lucky to hit 40-50,” said Lola Lopez, Founder of Volunteer in UAE.
Donor eligibility
“Under the new donor eligibility criteria stipulated by the Ministry of Health, those who have resided in the United Kingdom for an accumulative period of three months from 1980 to 1996, cannot donate. Similarly, if they have resided in Europe for an accumulative period of five years or more from 1980 to now, they cannot donate. These are both for fear of [contracting]the Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.”
Lopez said at the last camp held by Volunteer in UAE — it conducts at least two camps every month — a number of Europeans had to be turned away by the NGO’s registration desk because they did not meet these criteria in the donor history questionnaire.
Myriam Strigl, a Dubai resident from Switzerland who was rejected, said: “I used to be a regular donor, donating every two months at Ibn Battuta Mall, up until March 8 when I had to fill out the questionnaire. I am European and have lived in Europe from birth until 1999, and because of the new UAE regulations, I didn’t meet the new criteria. What is contradictory is that up until a couple of months earlier, my blood was good enough — and now suddenly it is not.”
“What concerns me is what would happen if tomorrow I get mown down by a truck and need a transfusion — what if they don’t have my blood type? I have O- blood type… which is rare to find,” she said. “It’s not like that in Europe they’ve stopped collecting blood from donors who are Europeans and have lived there. I feel frustrated because I cannot donate any more — this is the one thing that everybody could do to help save lives and is good for your body too.” Lopez said, “These regulations along with other regulations for people from the sub-continent, Africa and the Philippines, which are aimed at checking the spread of malaria, leave very few able to donate.”
She said under this criterion, “if a donor has travelled to Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, all of Africa and the Philippines in the last 12 months, which is the majority of the working class in the UAE, then they can’t donate. The same is the case for a person who has travelled to 70 other countries in the last six months.” An immediate response on the new eligibility requirements was not available from the Ministry of Health.
Donors’ website
A new website called www. BloodDonorUAE.org has been launched by Volunteer in UAE in order to get more eligible people to register themselves as donors. The site has gone live in time for World Blood Donation Day this Thursday. “Our aim is to get as many donors as possible and keep them up to date on new regulations for donations. They will be notified on all upcoming blood drives,” said Lola Lopez, Founder of Volunteer in UAE.
© Gulf News
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