GRAN MELIA ARUSHA TOP IN BLOOD DONATION

 

Recently opened Gran Melia Arusha, a five star hotel. has hit the ground running in community outreach.

Its staff members, guests and conference delegates made a record collection of  blood as the city marked the International Blood Donation Day recently.

"This was the highest collection a day during the blood donation this year in Arusha city which climaxed on June 14th", said Ms Anna Mushi, the human resources manager.

Blood donation is made in a gesture of saving lives of those in need of the critical body fluid.

"There was a good response. This was our first engagement in blood donation since the hotel was opened", she said.

For the 14 days of the activity, Arusha city recorded an average collection of  27 units (bottles) of blood a day. 

But on the day, a medical team from the city was at the hotel, some  36 units were collected.  

The World Blood Donor day is one of the eleven official good public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The event was organised for the first time in 2005, by a joint initiative of WHO and other bodies to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products.

Dr.Maduhu Nidwa, the Arusha city chief medical officer commended the management of the hotel for the blood donation.

"It was their first time to do so and they exceeded the target", he said, adding that the highest donation per day between June 1st to 14th was 27 units (bottles) of blood.

According to him, people eligible to donate blood must be in the 18-65 age bracket with a body weight of not less than 50 kilos. Pregnant or lactating mothers are not.

Stephen Mgavinyi Galinoma, the hotel assistant human resource manager said Gran Melia Arusha is also supporting a school for kids from disadvantaged families in Moshi.

The hotel, constructed for millions of dollars, was officially opened by President Samia Suluhu Hassan in November last year.

While its investors are from the Gulf states, the facility is under the management of the Spain-based Gran Melia hotel chain which operates 350 hotels globally.