Rabat – Hospitals and medical centers across Morocco are currently suffering from a severe shortage in blood.
This comes as various blood transfusion centers reported a low number of people donating. These centers are calling on citizens to help alleviate the shortage and contribute to saving lives.
Speaking to SNRT News, Director of the Regional Blood Transfusion Center in Rabat, Jamila Eljourdou, said that all regions nationwide are suffering from a shortage in the number of donors due to the cold wave the country is experiencing.
Less people tend to donate during the winter season, including weather obstacles, sickness, and travel.
For instance, the Rabat-Sale-Kenitra region needs 300 to 400 donors per day, but the current number of donors does not exceed 250 daily.
In the wake of this shortage, Eljourdou called on Moroccans to head to the nearest blood transfusion center and donate blood.
The reserve stock should, in normal circumstances, be able to cover the needs of five to six days, but the current stock would only be sufficient for three days, she added.
Eljourdou noted that centers are making lots of effort to attract donors through regional and external campaigns organized in schools, universities, and administrations to facilitate the donation process.
However, the collective engagement of citizens is needed to reach a sufficient blood stock that meets the needs of patients, Eljourdou said.
Meanwhile, Amaal Drid, the Director of the Regional Blood Transfusion Center in the Casablanca-Settat region, said that 500 to 600 blood bags are needed daily to create a sufficient reserve stock.
She also called on citizens to donate blood, noting the high demand in the Casablanca region in both private and public sector hospitals, particularly kidney dialysis centers and CHU Ibn Rochd, the largest university hospital in Morocco.
