In coherence with World Blood Donor Day, LG Egypt launched a blood donation initiative, in cooperation with Misr El Kheir Foundation, aiming to raise awareness about the importance of donating blood, along with encouraging employees to contribute to the cause and save lives.
According to the National Blood Transfusion Service Center at the Ministry of Health, the national rate of blood donation does not meet the patients’ needs in Egypt; with nearly 1 percent of the total population participating in blood donations in previous years, resulting in consistent shortage of blood supply. In efforts to curb this shortage and to celebrate World Blood Donor Day, LG Egypt hosted an Employees’ blood donor event last Thursday, June 15th, at its premises, planning to not only create a sense of belonging and achievement amongst employees, but also promote the blood donation culture within Egyptian society.
The event was organized in coordination with Misr El Kheir Foundation; which took on the responsibility of providing the needed medical experts and equipment. The employees’ enthusiasm towards the cause, resulted in 62 employees donating blood to those in need.
Speaking about the initiative, Mohamed Geddawy, Marketing Director at LG Egypt, said, “With LG Egypt being a true partner to the Egyptian society, we are committed to making a positive contribution to the Egyptian health sector, which is why we are proud to support World Blood Donor Day and encourage our employees to take part in this important cause.”
“Blood donation is a noble act that can save lives. We hope that our initiative will inspire others to take similar initiatives and contribute to the betterment of society,” he added.
Dr. Afaf El Gohary, Head of the Health Sector at Misr El Kheir Foundation, said: “This initiative comes as a continuation of the huge projects carried out by the Foundation, along with its partners, to support one of the most important health initiatives in Egypt, blood, given the tremendous role it plays in saving patients and preventing infections. We are thrilled to join efforts with LG Egypt as we celebrate World Blood Donor Day, to promote the importance of blood donation in Egypt. Together, we can raise awareness and encourage people to donate blood, ultimately saving lives in our community. We believe in the importance of every drop, and we are proud to see the impact of our collective efforts on this important cause.”
Dr. Afaf added that Misr El Kheir Foundation is one of the largest supporters of the blood file in Egypt, and established the first digital network to connect blood banks, allowing decision makers for the first time in Egypt to have instant visibility on available blood supply in more than 222 blood banks across the country. In addition, the foundation offers blood banks 4 blood transfusion vehicles, 14 blood donation cars, including NAT technology, to support the production of 300,000 safe blood bags annually, while organizing blood donation campaigns to drive stock supply by more than 30,000 blood bags.
World Blood Donor Day is annually celebrated on June 14 to raise awareness about the need for safe blood and blood products, and to thank voluntary unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gift of blood. The initiative falls under the umbrella of LG’s memorandum of understanding with Misr El Kheir Foundation, for the third season of LG Heroes CSR initiative for 2023, covering three main sectors; health, education, and social solidarity in Egypt.