Abu Dhabi Airports Company spreads awareness on blood donation

Press release

Published April 27th, 2011 - 09:22 GMT

Blood donation contributes to saving thousands of lives without causing harm for donors

Abu Dhabi Airports Company kicked off its first annual blood donation initiative in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Blood Bank (ADBB) of Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) managed by Cleveland Clinic on 25^th of April. The blood drive took place in ADAC’s Headquarters encouraging staff members to donate blood.

Abu Dhabi Airports Company is keen on playing an active role in Corporate Social Responsibility, and does so by continuously involving its staff and educating the public on general health and social matters. In collaboration with SKMC, a SEHA Health System Facility, a mobile blood donor bus was present at ADAC’s parking premises allowing easy access for staff members to safely donate blood, whereby 18% of the staff based at the company’s headquarters volunteered for the good cause.

According to the Abu Dhabi Blood Bank (ADBB), blood donation contributes to saving thousands of lives without causing harm for donors. Every year, ADBB supplies more than 25,000 units of blood to help save the lives of patients. The total time taken for the blood donation procedure is no more than 10 – 15 minutes to collect one unit of blood - around 450 ml; which can possibly save more than one life.

James E. Bennett, CEO of ADAC commented: “We are proud to work with the Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) to raise awareness on the importance of blood donation and its positive effects on the community. The staff members from SKMC helped mark the success of the campaign and ensured all the donation procedures were safely completed within the mobile units.”

Dr. Naima Oumeziane, Medical Director of Abu Dhabi Blood Bank at SKMC, said: “The simple procedure of donating blood is a noble act that could save someone’s life; and through our regular campaigns with corporate organizations in Abu Dhabi, such as ADAC, we hope regular blood donation is conducted continuously by sufficient number of healthy people to ensure that blood is always available whenever and wherever it is needed.”

For more information; please visit Abu Dhabi Airports Company’s website www.adac.ae

Background Information

Abu Dhabi Airports Company

Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) is a public joint-stock company incorporated by Emiri Decree number 5, of March 4, 2006, to spearhead the development of the Emirate's aviation industry. ADAC’s creation was part of an ambitious restructuring initiative launched by the Government of Abu Dhabi, aimed at delivering better services to support the Emirate’s long-term economic and tourism strategies and to help build a more vibrant economy that attracts and promotes private sector investment.

Company Profile

Sheikh Khalifa Medical City

Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) is located in Abu Dhabi City.The flagship institution for the public health system in Abu Dhabi, SKMC has several centers of excellence and provides comprehensive services in all healthcare disciplines relevant to the needs of the community.

SKMC is the largest hospital in the UAE, consisting of a 586-bed tertiary hospital, 14 outpatient specialty clinics, and the Abu Dhabi Blood Bank, all of which are accredited by the Joint Commission International. SKMC is also accredited as a Cycle IV Chest Pain Center with Primary Angioplasty Intervention, having been the first outside the USA to achieve Cycle III recognition and only the 12th worldwide to do so. It is also accredited by the College of American Pathologists for its Main Laboratory and the Abu Dhabi Blood Bank. SKMC also manages a 125-bed Behavioral Sciences Pavilion and an Urgent Care Center.

SKMC is a member of the SEHA HealthSystem, which is responsible for managing and developing public hospitals and clinics in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. For further information on SEHA, please visit www.seha.ae.