📰 Thalassemia patients in Syria’s Qamishli struggle amid blood bank closure

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Patients in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli are facing growing difficulties in securing lifesaving blood transfusions after the city’s only blood bank ceased operating, leaving hundreds of vulnerable people dependent on ad-hoc donations. For Hassan Idris, 29, the struggle has lasted nearly his entire life. Diagnosed with thalassemia at age four, he now depends on regular transfusions to survive. “Recently, as the city lost its blood bank center, we have been struggling immensely to secure blood,” Idris informed North Press. “We even go out into the streets and ask people directly to donate. ” Thalassemia patients require blood more frequently than most. “Some cases need blood every week or every ten days,” he stated.

Notably, “We face great difficulty securing it on time. ”  Growing burden on families and children A doctor in Qamishli stressed the urgent need to reopen a fully equipped blood bank.   “Qamishli lacks a blood bank, and it is necessary and urgent for the Autonomous Administration to open one,” he informed North Press. “Under current circumstances of war, blockade, and the spread of diseases, thalassemia patients need blood continuously. ” He explained that the former center—affiliated with the Syrian Ministry of Defense—used to conduct essential safety tests for donors, including HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis, and malaria. “These tests are necessary and costly. Notably, without a proper facility, patients are exposed to significant risk,” he noted. An employee from the former center stated that around 70 percent of patients once depended on the now-closed facility. “With the fall of the Assad regime, the center stopped operating completely,” he said.

Local initiative fills the gap With no institutional backing, families increasingly rely on community-driven efforts. Diyar Abdurrahman, 21, receives blood every 25 days. “due to the war and constant attacks, securing blood on time is extremely difficult,” he said. “When the hospital has no blood, my family posts appeals online to find donors. ” In response to the growing crisis, Mohammed Amin al-Beik, 27, and seven other young men created a WhatsApp group to mobilize donors across the city. “About a month ago, I launched the group due to the severe shortage and the difficulty of finding specific blood types,” Mohammed told North Press. “What motivated me was the death of a colleague’s father due to a lack of platelets. ” He said the group has helped provide blood for more than 60 cases so far,…