Tehran, the Biggest Blood Consumer City of Iran

IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – The spokesman of Iran Blood Transfusion Organization (IBTO) says more than 2 million units of blood and blood products are donated in the country per annum, adding that AB Negative blood group is the rarest blood group in the country and Tehran is the biggest blood consumer city of the country.

Speaking to ISNA, Dr. Bashir Hajibeigi said that last year, over 2.5 million people went to the blood transfusion centers in the country to donate blood, adding that some 2.1m people could donate their blood and some 490, 000 people were found ineligible for donation.

On the amount of blood needed in the country, he said some 920 hospitals in the country receive blood and blood products from IBTO offices and in metropolis Tehran, Tehran’s IBTO office meets the demands of some 170 hospitals and medical centers.

He added that some 3,000 units of blood and its products are requested in Tehran per day, reiterating that Tehran Province has the most blood donators and blood consumers in the country.

Hajibeigi added that consumption of blood in Sistan and Baluchistan, Fars, Gilan, Fars, Mazandaran, Bushehr, Khouzestan and Kerman provinces is higher because of the huge number of Thalassemia patients.

He further said that the organization acts based on the demands and needs of blood banks of hospitals, adding that whatever hospitals request, IBTO provides them with blood and blood products. He admitted sometimes because of huge demand for blood products like platelets, IBTO faces shortage in supply but it is mostly temporary.

Hajibeigi noted that over 2m units of blood per annum were collected by the organization and most of it is turned into the blood products. He said over 3.5m units of blood products are produced from over 2m units of blood and the amount has met the demands of medical centers of the country so far.

He added that when the demands from the medical centers for blood rises, the IBTO starts its propagation and culturalization of blood donation, and consequently the amount of blood donation rises.

He reiterated that O Positive is the dominating blood group in the country with 33 percent while 25 to 26 percent of people have B positive, 27 to 28 percent  A Positive, 8 to 9 percent AB Positive and only 10 percent of people have negative blood groups.

He further said that AB Negative is the rarest blood group in Iran and only one percent of people have AB Negative blood group.

He said O Positive is dominating blood group in the country and its donation and consumption is higher than other blood groups.

Hajibeigi noted that blood donation has increased in Iran in recent years as the figure reached 60 percent last year.