The Community Service and Environmental Development Affairs Sector at the Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams University, organized an awareness seminar on regular blood donation with the aim of spreading awareness about the importance of regular donation under the auspices of Prof. Mohamed Diaa Zain El-Abedeen, President of the University, Prof. Ghada Farouk, Vice President for Community Service and Environmental Development Affairs, Prof. Hanan Kamel Metwally, Dean of the Faculty, and under the supervision of Prof. Hanan Salem, Vice Dean of the Faculty for Community Service and Environmental Development Affairs, in cooperation with the Community Service Affairs Sector at the Faculty of Medicine.

The seminar was opened by Prof. Hanan Salem, Vice Dean of the Faculty, who stressed in her speech the importance of regular blood donation not only to improve the health of the donor, but also to enhance the efficiency of blood banks in hospitals, which directly contributes to saving the lives of patients and accident and emergency victims.

Prof. Hanan Salem explained that every drop of blood stored in blood banks represents a great hope for patients, noting that this initiative is part of the social responsibility that contributes to improving the health of society.

For her part, Dr. Dalia Diaa El-Din Salem, Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical Pathology and Quality Manager at the Main Blood Bank at the University Hospitals, highlighted the medical benefits of donating blood.

She added that blood is used to treat patients with anemia, tumors, kidney failure, bleeding, hemophilia, and immunodeficiency patients. She also stressed the importance of donation in treating accident victims and in some major surgeries.

As for the donors themselves, Dr. Dalia confirmed that donating blood has many health benefits for them, starting with the possibility of conducting medical examinations such as measuring blood pressure and hemoglobin levels, as well as detecting viral diseases such as AIDS, hepatitis C and B, and syphilis. She added that donating contributes to renewing blood cells and enhancing heart health, and reduces the risk of strokes and heart attacks.

At the end of the symposium, it was announced that the faculties’ league would start to select the best promotional program with the aim of spreading awareness about blood donation and encouraging the community to participate in regular voluntary donation, within the “5 for 1” program that encourages students and the community to join this campaign.