Mohammed leads by example, donates blood

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, visited Latifa Hospital yesterday and donated blood after he heard of a shortage of blood for thalassemia patients in Dubai. Leading by example, the leader rushed to Latifa Hospital upon hearing about a shortage of blood to, in his own words, “do my duty.” “Heard of a shortage in donated blood in our hospitals, I headed to Latifa Hospital to do my duty,” Sheikh Mohammed tweeted last evening through his Twitter handle @HHShkMohd. Sheikh Mohammed urged everyone in the community to support the blood banks. “It is a responsibility for everyone in the community (individuals and organizations) to take part in supporting our blood banks,” he said in another tweet. According to a report in Arabic daily Emarat Al Youm, Sheikh Mohammed was accompanied by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, who too donated blood for the benefit of patients. “Just visited the Thalassemia Centre in Dubai and met with a group of children there ... it was an emotional experience,” said Sheikh Mohammed. Sheikh Hamdan praised His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and the campaign launched by Emarat Al Youm to urge members of the community to donate blood to meet the growing needs of patients. The daily has launched a blood donation campaign under the slogan ‘Donation’, after the blood donation center reported a severe shortage of blood about four months ago, and the shortage has increased dramatically over the past few days. Emarat Al Youm has splashed the news about the shortage on its front page during the past two days, highlighting the negative effects caused by the lack of blood, especially in patients with thalassemia, which are estimated at about 450 in Dubai. Thalassemia patients expressed great pleasure when visited by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. They said that his visit to them, and his initiative to donate blood, would be an incentive for citizens and residents to take the initiative to donate blood for them.