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Rabat – Blood bank reserves in Morocco are critically low due to Ramadan’s night curfew and the COVID-19 crisis.
Currently, blood bank supplies in Morocco are only enough to cover the next two or three days, Amal Darid, regional director of the National Center for Blood Transfusion and Hematology in the Casablanca-Settat region (CNTSH), told Moroccan television channel 2M.
“The blood transfusion center of Casablanca-Settat has followed an upstream strategy and managed to make a small stock before Ramadan, which will however be exhausted in two or three days at most,” Darid explained.
Blood donation centers saw fewer donors as Ramadan’s night curfew began in Morocco. Hospitals request approximately 400-600 bags of blood a day, but the centers only receive five to ten donors per day.
“This is a very difficult equation that will have repercussions, since blood is a vital material that does not have its substitute in pharmacies,” the regional director added.
She emphasized that blood shortage in the Casablanca-Settat region, which represents about 33.3% of Morocco’s population, threatens all other regions of the country.
Blood centers begin daily operations after the breaking of the fast in Ramadan. This is nearly impossible due to the night curfew and the remaining blood supplies in the stock will only be used for urgent cases and surgeries, according to the regional director.
Darid warns about the situation that is deteriorating day by day due to the night curfew during Ramadan.
In 2020, there were successful blood donation campaigns around the country. The ministry of health continues to encourage Moroccans to donate blood noting that, “donating blood is a responsibility for all.”
