• State-of-the-art blood donation bus to operate across Dubai Holding communities and retail destinations 

• The campaign provides an opportunity to donate blood in a convenient and safe manner 

• This is the second joint blood donation drive post the success of ‘Be the Hero. Save Lives’ campaign, which secured 39,000 blood units to Dubai Blood Donation Centre 

 

Dubai, UAE, 30 March 2021: Dubai Holding – a diversified global company with operations in 13 countries – and Dubai Health Authority (DHA) today announced the launch of ‘The Perfect Gift is Saving Lives’ blood donation campaign. This marks the start of the second official drive as part of the long-term partnership aimed at encouraging Dubai residents to donate blood.

 

The three-month campaign will run from 1 April 2021 and will operate across 16 locations in Dubai via a state-of-the-art blood donation bus contributed by Dubai Holding to the Dubai Blood Donation Centre (DBDC). The blood donation bus will be visiting Dubai Holding’s communities and retail destinations where currently more than 300,000 people live and work, providing added convenience while ensuring compliance with COVID-19 protocols and safety measures. These include City Walk, The Beach, La Mer, Bluewaters, Last Exit Al Khawaneej, Boxpark, Mudon, The Villa, Shorooq, Ghoroob, Layan, Remraam, Al Khail Gate, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Barsha Heights and Executive Towers at Business Bay.

 

Khalid Al Malik, Managing Director of Dubai Holding said: “Dubai Holding is always keen to engage in opportunities for social contribution with the aim of positively impacting the lives of people in the UAE and beyond. Through ‘The Perfect Gift is Saving Lives’ blood donation campaign, we continue to deliver on our commitment, while also instilling values of social responsibility in the community and uniting people through the humanitarian journey of saving lives. Our employees and community members continue to partake in the several activations throughout the year that support the efforts to ensure the constant availability of blood for those in need. Dubai Holding is proud to play a part in the nationwide blood donation effort, where our long-term partnership with Dubai Health Authority represents a significant contribution. We look forward to helping save more lives through this initiative.”

 

Dr. Hussain Al Samt, Director of Pathology and Genetics Department at the DHA thanked Dubai Holding for their long-term support and cooperation. 

 

He said: “Every unit of blood donated, has the potential to save three lives.  It means community members have an opportunity to contribute to this truly humanitarian cause. I would like to encourage them to donate blood regularly. I take this opportunity to thank all those who have donated blood and blood products.  It is a simple process, blood donation takes 15 minutes. Thalassemia patients require regular blood transfusions. Blood is needed for many complex medical and surgical procedures and cancer patients, for women with complications of pregnancy and for accident and emergency cases. The Dubai Blood Donation Centre has received the prestigious AABB accreditation with 100 per cent compliance. We have been accredited by AABB since 2012 and we follow internationally recognized standards of blood collection, testing, processing, storage and distribution.”

 

In 2019, Dubai Holding initiated a long-term partnership with DHA to support DBDC. The first mission under the partnership was the extensive support to the ‘Be the Hero, Save Lives’ blood donation joint initiative, which secured 39,000 blood units from over 48,300 registered donors through 645 visits across the Emirate. Additionally, Dubai Holding signed an agreement to donate a state-of-the-art blood donation bus to DBDC. The bus was inaugurated in November 2020, equipped with the latest smart technologies and medical requirements that comply with international standards.

DBDC receives blood donations from more than 149  nationalities with more than 65,300 registered blood donors and the centre provides around 50% of the total blood collected in the country, ensuring that those in need in both public and private hospitals have access to safe and timely supply of regular blood and blood components such as platelets and plasma.