- Title: Vital blood bank in Yemeni capital running low on funds
- Date: 8th August 2017
- Summary: SANAA, YEMEN (AUGUST 7, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF YEMEN BLOOD BANK SIGN READING IN (Arabic) AND (English): 'National Blood Transfusion and research Center' VARIOUS OF MOBILE BLOOD DONATION UNIT PARKED VARIOUS OF PEOPLE DONATING BLOOD DONOR'S ARM AS BLOOD BEING TAKEN BLOOD BAG DURING DONATION MEDICS CATALOGUING BLOOD BAGS DONATED BLOOD BAGS ON TABLE IN LAB VARIOUS OF BLOOD REFRIGERATION UNITS VARIOUS OF NURSE PLACING BLOOD BAGS INTO REFRIGERATION UNITS BLOOD BAGS SEEN INSIDE REFRIGERATION UNIT MANAGER ADNAN AL-HAKIMI SEATED AT DESK AL-HAKIMI TAKING NOTES (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MANAGER OF THE NATIONAL BLOOD TRANSFUSION CENTRE, ADNAN AL-HAKIMI, SAYING: "The centre is running low on all its resources, including cannula solutions, blood bags, and other medical supplies. Doctors without borders was the centre's main sponsor over the past two years, but all of a sudden we received a letter from them informing us that they will discontinue this support." VARIOUS OF LAB ASSISTANT PUTING DATA INTO LABORATORY MACHINE VARIOUS OF LAB ASSISTANT USING MICROSCOPE BLOOD VIALS LAB WORKER PUTTING LABELS ON BLOOD BAGS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MANAGER OF THE NATIONAL BLOOD TRANSFUSION CENTRE, ADNAN AL-HAKIMI, SAYING: "We here at the National Blood Transfusion Centre are appealing to civil society organisations, business men, and all those doing charity work, to save the lives of these patients and the wounded, so the centre does not go out of business." LAB WORKERS LABELLING BLOOD BAGS IN LAB BLOOD BAGS ON TABLE MEDIC SORTING BLOOD BAGS IN REFRIGERATION UNIT VARIOUS OF PEOPLE NEEDING BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS SITTING IN WAITING ROOM VARIOUS OF CHILD SITTING IN WAITING ROOM PEOPLE IN RECEPTION AREA (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DIRECTOR OF MEDIA DEPARTMENT, MONIR AL-ZABDY, SAYING: "If the centre closes, the country will be in crisis, especially people with thalassaemia, cancers, people undergoing open heart surgery, kidney failure and others." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SITTING IN WAITING ROOM
- Embargoed: 22nd August 2017 15:41
- Keywords: Yemen blood bank blood transfusions blood donations Yemen conflict
- Location: SANAA, YEMEN
- City: SANAA, YEMEN
- Country: Yemen
- Topics: Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA0016TAQZIF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Yemen's blood bank may be forced to close due to a lack of money after an international medical charity decided to end two years of support, the bank's director said on Monday (August 7).
Yemen has been torn by two years of civil war that has killed more than 10,000 people, displaced more than three million and destroyed much of the country's infrastructure, including its health system.
The country of 27 million has also been struggling to cope with a cholera epidemic that has affected 473,000 people and killed nearly 2,000.
Patients suffering diseases including thalassaemia, cancer and kidney failures, as well as victims of the war, would be affected if the bank closed, officials said.
More than three million people have been displaced in Yemen's conflict and much of the country's infrastructure including its health system has been destroyed.
The National Blood Transfusion Centre director, Dr. Adnan al-Hakimi, said the crisis emerged after French medical charity Medecins san Frontieres (MSF) informed the bank it was suspending its aid after more than two years of work.
An MSF spokeswoman said the charity had handed over its support for the blood bank to the WHO.
The U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) said it was trying to help by sending further supplies.
MSF has been doing extensive work in Yemen since the war began in March 2015, operating hospitals and clinics and providing medical supplies to various state-run facilities.
In a report in January, MSF said it had provided regular blood testing kits to the blood bank since September 2015. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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