He started by trying to save his grandfather from cancer and kept making a donation to save the lives of others
"Rashid" .. Recorded by "Dubai Health", the youngest blood donor at the age of 17 years
Citizens advance the ranks of blood donors.
From the source
Dr. Mai Raouf: "Last year witnessed a great demand from citizens and residents to donate blood."
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The Dubai Blood Donation Center, affiliated to the Dubai Health Authority, has registered student Rashid Abdullah Al-Shehhi as the youngest blood donor.
Rashid told "Emirates Today" that his desire to donate came during the stage of his grandfather's illness, who was suffering from cancer, before he finally died, indicating his constant need, at that time, for new blood units, as he accepted without hesitation to donate his blood to save Grandfather's life.
He continued: "After donating for the first time, I realized the value of this work, both humanly and nationally, because of its importance in saving human life, and at the same time it has many health benefits accruing to the donor himself."
He stressed that the country needs the support of its children, calling on parents to urge their children to donate blood voluntarily, from an early age.
He said that he invites his friends and acquaintances to donate blood, and talks to them about its benefits and importance, as well as its role in saving people's lives, especially those with serious diseases, and those who are exposed to accidents that require blood transfusions.
Rashid called on all members of society, both citizens and residents, to play their societal and humanitarian role, by searching for areas that require support and assistance, and to voluntarily work, in response to the country's benevolence to them, and to contribute to its elevation, and help it contain and deal with crises.
Rashid completed his secondary education, and is scheduled to join the Higher College of Technology in Dubai, to study business administration, to serve his country in this specialty in the future.
The President and Medical Director of the Dubai Blood Donation Center, Dr. Mai Raouf, stated that Rashid is the youngest citizen registered in the center's data system, as the donation began at the age of 17, while the law specified the age of donors from 18 to 65 years, and no donation from They are younger than the specified age, except after obtaining official approval from their relatives, and ensuring their health ability to donate, without the possibility of any health complications.
She pointed out that the distinguished thing about Rashid is that, although the beginning of his donation was motivated by the motive of saving the life of one of his relatives, he was then keen to come to the center without summoning, and donate periodically, in support of his efforts in providing sufficient quantities of species to save the lives of patients, Emphasizing that he is an example and an honorable model for the initiative and responsible youth.
She stated that the Health Authority is working on implementing external campaigns targeting governmental and private institutions, in addition to distributing mobile donation buses in different regions, with the aim of collecting the largest possible number of blood units and providing an adequate stock of blood of all types.
She also confirmed that last year witnessed a great demand from citizens and residents to donate blood, as the number of donors reached about 66,000.
She stated that the trust that the center enjoys from community members, the health safety standards available for the donation process, the center's reliance on the best technologies and smart solutions, and its 100% paperless transaction methods, contributed to the high number of blood units that the center succeeded in collecting last year.
Dr. Mai Raouf said that the annual increase in the amount of blood collected by the center is due to the community's growing awareness of the importance of donating blood, in addition to the presence of mobile donation buses that save those wishing the hardship of reaching the center.
She stated that UAE nationals made the blood donation ranks, as their number reached 6,231 males and 1,313 females.
It is noteworthy that the authority developed, during February last year, the first blood donation bus in the country to operate on solar energy, in line with the directions of the country and Dubai's strategy to shift towards clean energy, as some devices were replaced inside the new blood transfusion bus, to operate with generators that derive their energy from the sun.
The authority also launched, through its strategic partnership with Dubai Holding, an advanced blood donation bus, equipped with the latest means, to ensure the comfort and safety of blood donors, and to enable the center to reach the donors' places.
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