As the Israeli bombardment on Gaza continues, and as Palestinian hospitals are struggling to treat the large number of wounded there, Saudi Arabia has sent an air ambulance to Gaza to bring the injured Palestinians to the Kingdom for treatment. In Jeddah, a blood donation camp for the injured in Gaza, organized by King Abdulaziz University Hospital at its premises and at the Serafi Mega Mall is under way. The main organizer of the campaign is King Faisal Specialist Hospital Riyadh. “They sent us a message to start the campaign over here in Jeddah,” said Dr. Salwa Hindawi, director of blood transfusion service at KAUH and in charge of the camp. Both Saudis and residents are lining up to donate blood. Till Wednesday evening, the hospital has got almost 350 to 400 units of blood. In Eastern Province, Dammam Medical Complex, Qatif Central Hospital, Maternity and Children's Hospital in Dammam are among the hospitals where the injured will be treated. According to sources, about 26 intensive care units are reserved for treating Palestinians in these hospitals. Blood donors describe their move as the least they can do to show their support for the Palestinians in Gaza. “We are committed to lending a helping hand to thousands of Palestinians who have been injured, and rendered homeless and impoverished due to the ongoing conflict, and this is the least that I could do for them,” a Saudi blood donor told Saudi Gazette in Dammam Central Hospital. An Indian expatriate organization SYS (Sunni Yuvajana Sangam) launched a blood donation campaign on Tuesday at Dammam Medical Complex, with most of the group's members donating blood. Mohmmed Hilar, SYS welfare organization spokesman, said he asked his community to donate blood for the people of Gaza. “Everyone I talked to was willing to donate blood to help the Saudi authorities help Palestinians and so we kicked off our campaign on Tuesday,” he said. Dammam Medical Complex authorities said that they have received 100 bags of blood and that they are expecting more blood donors in the coming days. Meanwhile, Palestinian officials have told the Ministry of Health that Gaza has enough supply of donated blood, but they need more blood bags, a ministry official said. In response, the ministry has secured a large number of blood bags to be dispatched to Gaza, the official added. The ministry said unless the donated blood is handled under favorable medical conditions, it would be difficult to safely transport it to Gaza under the current circumstances as the road transportation may affect its components leading to deterioration from bacterial infection. Blood banks in the Kingdom have enough supply of blood if needed at any time, the ministry said.
