Rehabilitated blood bank opens in Hama, boosting access to vital transfusion services

A rehabilitated blood bank opened on Monday at al-Suqaylabiyah National Hospital in Hama province, in central Syria expanding access to vital blood transfusion services for hundreds of thousands of people in the al-Ghab area and neighboring communities.

The facility is expected to ease pressure on blood and blood-component supplies in the region and reduce the financial burden on patients who previously had to seek services elsewhere, particularly those with thalassemia and kidney failure who require frequent transfusions.

Mustafa Khalouf, head of the Health Facilities Department at the Hama Health Directorate, told SANA that the Health Ministry regularly supplies blood units to hospitals across the province.

The blood bank was renovated and rehabilitated in cooperation with the Austrian Takaful Association as part of efforts to rebuild healthcare facilities and improve access to medical services.

Alaa al-Nafra, the association’s public relations director, said the project was carried out in coordination with the General Establishment for Blood Banks and funded by a donation from Louay Kazbari.

Al-Suqaylabiyah National Hospital, the largest hospital in the al-Ghab area, serves around 900,000 people from western Hama and neighboring towns and villages in southwestern Idlib.

The hospital has undergone extensive rehabilitation across several departments in recent months, improving its treatment and emergency services.