ABU DHABI – Abu Dhabi Blood Bank Services announced that blood donors can now obtain volunteer credit hours through the UAE Volunteer Platform.

Volunteer hours for blood donors will be calculated based on the type of blood donation. Two hours will be credited for blood donation and three hours for donating platelets. University students can benefit from this programme to complete the volunteer requirements necessary for graduating.

Dr. Saleh Al Ali, the Executive Director of the Centre of Emergency Preparedness and Response at DoH, stated, “Blood donation and ensuring the availability of blood units represent a strategic importance for any healthcare ecosystem around the world, in order to sustain the efficiency of healthcare services. At the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi, we are keen to achieve a balance between the supply of blood donation and its demand within the emirate. This stems from our responsibility towards the health and safety of all community members, as well as our commitment to ensuring the emirate's readiness in accordance with best international practices and standards in responding to health emergencies. Our continuous work and efforts with our partners within the healthcare sector seek to raise awareness of blood donation as a noble act that contributes to saving the lives of countless people around us.”

Dr. Huda Khalfan Al Shamsi, Abu Dhabi Blood Bank Services Director, said, "The UAE Volunteer Platform will greatly serve the Abu Dhabi Blood Bank Services, as we always strive to develop our programmes and projects to keep pace with developments that help us in securing blood in regular quantities to save the lives of patients. We stress on the importance of how donating blood can make a difference, as by doing so you are giving other people another chance to live. The UAE Volunteer Platform assists us in achieving that, through the attraction of voluntary blood donors.”

The UAE Volunteer Platform provides its users with complete details including location, time and date, as volunteers can register to donate blood by visiting the UAE Volunteer platform at https://volunteers.ae/.

According to data gathered by Abu Dhabi Blood Bank Services, the number of donors in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi thus far in 2022 has exceeded 53,948 donors, while the total number of donors during the past five years has surpassed 247,801 donors.

Abu Dhabi Blood Bank Services is one of the strategic services of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, the regulator of the healthcare sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, operated by the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA).