Testimonials were provided by the donor and the patient in attendance.    The donor, Danny Tinawi, has donated 105 times over 33 years making him, by far, the greatest donor in Lebanon.  He shared his good and bad experiences of donating blood and ended his speech by saying, “I will continue to donate until I am told that I am too old.”  Chabel Maroun, a cancer patient who has continuously used DSC for referrals to blood donors shared his story and his experience of relying on blood donations for his survival.  In his speech Maroun said, “I find it beautiful that someone who does not know me personally and that I haven’t had any contact with whatsoever comes to the hospital to donate his blood in order to save my life.”  The stories from both men personalized the blood donation process and allowed the audience to share in the emotional experience of donating blood.

Issues discussed ranged from how the hospital could quell the fears of first time donors to how hospitals could encourage regular donors to come back to a friendly hospital environment.  Dr Bandali from Nini Hospital in Tripoli expressed that it was important for donors feel a “friendly atmosphere” in the medical team that greets them. Some suggestions on how to help donors with their hospital experience included a free parking permit on the donation day or a car sticker that reads “Donor on Board” which would allow for free parking during the donation period.  Others suggested that perhaps the donors could receive free sandwiches, cookies or juice after their donation.  

The issue of how to increase the number of donors in Lebanon was addressed by Dr Ziad El Baba from Clemenceau Medical Center, pointing out that the government could help by forbidding designated donations, thus increasing anonymous donations.  The issue of donor awareness was discussed for a while as Dr. Baba went on to say the importance of stressing on, “the happiness that [donating]  brings after having donated.”  The attendees also discussed the lack of knowledge about blood donation in Lebanon and that the country is missing the “social education and the sense of responsibility” to give one’s blood.

While the conference was meant to better the donation experience for donors, the hospital representatives voiced some concerns in reference to the pre-screening questionnaires which are designed to protect the patient as well as the donor.  In discussing the need to screen out at-risk or unfit donors, Christine Nasrallah from Hospital Rizk stated, “A lot of donors do not take our questionnaires seriously…their words are the only security we have”.  She went on to explain that many of the potential donors fear being rejected from the donation process and the consequential question from family and friends that will arise.  Another Hospital Rizk representative, Fadia Azzi, went on to explain that it is important for the donor to understand that the examinations are anonymous and that the hospital will provide different excuses to provide the public about his rejection. 

Another issue of concern for the hospital representatives revolved around the need for a centralized blood bank in Lebanon.  Khalil Abdo, head of the laboratory at Trad Hospital, explained that this was important “for a more efficient coordination.”  As Dr. Hanadi Samaha from St. George Hospital explained, “DSC is taking its role seriously which revolves around education and promotion [of blood donation]”, but as the situation currently stands “each group should focus of its specialization.”  While these concerns were valid, Teyrouz reminded the attendees that the focus of the conference was on the donors and not the technical details of donating, which was not the concern of the association.    

Overall, the conference was a success in drawing up issues of concern to all sides involved in blood donation in Lebanon and serves as the first of many future gatherings of donors, hospital representatives and DSC.   We hope this is one of many conferences between DSC and the blood donation community to make the experience of blood donation in Lebanon better for everyone involved.  

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Photos of the event can be viewed at:
The 1st Lebanese Blood Donor Motivator Conference