By Paulo Fugen
Despite the fact that 116 students and staff showed up for a blood drive by the Hamad Medical Corporation at Texas A&M University on Monday, only 21 donors were able to participate.
The rest were rejected, according to Rachel White, the program coordinator from Texas A&M University. This was due to guidelines set by HMC.
The blood drive was co-hosted by the TAMU-Q student affairs department and its Social Outreach Club as a part of “Gig ‘Em Week,” an event to welcome new and returning TAMU-Q students back to the new academic year.
“A few years ago, we tried to host a blood drive here on campus, but unfortunately we were not able to see that through to completion,” said White, “this year, it’s a part of our Gig ‘Em Week celebrations as a day of selfless service.”
Potential blood donors had to go through an extensive screening process. Only people who were at least 18 years old and weighed at least 50kg were allowed to donate blood. And even then, potential donors needed to have had at least six hours of sleep.
Abdul Khader Armarakath, a laboratory clerk at Hamad Medical Corporation, said that the complex process was to make sure that the blood supply collected was of the highest quality.
“We conduct a lot of physical tests also, checking blood pressure, pulse and temperature to ensure this,” Armarakath added.
But some students questioned the criteria for donations.
“It is unusual in who they are allowing,” said Nadia El Meragaui, a 17-year-old student in the Academic Bridge Program. “Outside the country, if you are underage and have consent, you can donate blood.”
“I feel upset that I can’t help people. I love people,” El Meragaui added.
While it is certainly true that organizations like the American Red Cross allow 17-year-olds to donate blood, students were also wary of other questions they had to answer during the process. They were asked whether they had been outside of the country for an extended period of time and where they had been born. Students were then accepted or denied on the basis of their answers.
When asked to comment, the HMC staff said that the information was confidential.
However, the event attracted positive reactions from students in Education City.
“My mom was sick 3 years ago. My blood type was different, so I couldn’t do anything.” said Abdulaziz Mohammed, a chemical engineering sophomore at TAMU-Q, “Hopefully now I can do some good.”
“It’s the least you can do,” said Mohammed Hammouda, a mechanical engineering junior at TAMU-Q. “I donated because someday, it could be me needing blood.”
“It’s great work and it shows that Hamad does care,” Hammouda added. “Some hospitals are just in for the business.”
