The blood bank in Idlib is suffering from a shortage in the quantities of blood required to cover the needs of the injured and sick in the province.
The blood bank supplies about one third of the hospitals in the province including those in Idlib city, Binesh, Maarat Misren, Tifnaz and Ariha.
The decrease in the quantities of blood available are due to a lack of donors after the cessation of the shelling of Idlib province’s cities and towns after a “de-escalation” agreement came into effect and the start of the month of Ramadan.
The blood bank’s demand for blood increased during this period after an increase in the number of accidents, so the blood bank management rely on the injured person’s companions as the best choices as blood donors. The blood bank collects 750 units of blood per month but the need exceeds 1500 units.
The medical staff conduct tests on the blood bags using primitive methods known as “plaques” in the absence of automatic devices (ELISA device), and the lack of funding. The medical staff works voluntarily while obtaining their supplies from the of the management of the specialized hospital.
The blood bank started working on a coordination mechanism among the civil society organizations and the medical sector in the province. As part of this coordination, a beneficiary of civil organizations’ services must carry a paper proving that s/he is a blood donor, the same as university students and public employees
