UAE National Day: Hundreds of residents donate blood to honour 54th Eid Al Etihad, martyrs

Dubai: While the majority of residents celebrated the UAE's 54^th Eid Al Etihad with fanfare and festivities, hundreds of expatriates chose to mark the occasion in a different way – by donating blood and potentially saving lives.

Leading the donation camps across the country over the long National Day holiday weekend were members of various Indian expat community groups.

The Dubai KMCC Kasaragod District Committee held its annual blood donation camp to mark the UAE Eid Al Etihad and Commemoration Day on Sunday, demonstrating the community's commitment to giving back to their adopted homeland.

The team arranged free transportation and complimentary meals for all participants and gifted them with UAE National Day souvenirs, said Salam Kanyappady, president of the group.

He said Haneef TR, general secretary, and Dr Ismail Mogral, treasurer successfully organised the blood donation camp with the support of Kindness Blood Donation Team led by Anwar Wayanad and Shihab Theruvath.

"From workers in groceries and restaurants to top corporate executives like Shamsudheen bin Mohideen, chairman of the Regency Group, who is also the head of Dubai KMCC Advisory Committee and PA Salman Ibrahim, managing director at PACE Education Group, we have donors of diverse professional backgrounds who donate blood regularly," he said.

Salam Thattanichery, vice president of the group, said: "We had registered over 600 people. It was heartening to see some people of other nationalities also join us this time. More than 300 managed to donate blood within the working hours of the Dubai Blood Donation Centre. We will soon conduct another camp for those who missed the chance this time."

A regular donor, Ibrahim Berike, said: "To me, blood donation is the noblest deed that one can do to give back to this country. Give blood, gift a life and make a family smile is my motto. We donate blood to mark the UAE National Day and the Commemoration Day and it is our special tribute to this great nation and its martyrs."

Meanwhile, several other Indian expats donated blood on Eid Al Etihad, December 2, in Dubai. This was at a mega blood donation camp conducted by FOI Events in collaboration with the Indian Consulate in Dubai.

"FOI has been organising this mega blood donation camp in collaboration with the consulate for the past 17 years to commemorate the UAE National Day, in coordination with the Dubai Blood Donation Centre," said Bhagyaraj Rao, blood donation team coordinator.

"This is a small gesture of gratitude that we extend to our second home and the people who live here harmoniously. We are happy and proud that once again, we managed to conduct a successful camp," he added.

In a post on X, the Indian Consulate said that "over 250 donors and volunteers came forward, showcasing solidarity, community spirit, and the strong UAE–India partnership."

In Ras Al Khaimah, another group of Indians led by the Blood Donors Kerala (BDK) and Emirates Malayali Nurses' Family (EMNF) conducted a blood donation camp on Monday. It was held in collaboration with various socio-cultural organisations and business groups.

"More than 100 donors donated blood during the camp held at the Indian Relief Committee's building. This is the fourth blood donation campaign of EMNF in Ras Al Khaimah. We are happy to have supported the event that also saw BDK setting a record of 1,000 donations in Ras Al Khaimah in 2025. We also held an Eid Al Etihad celebration after the event," said Shiji Ramesh, a coordinator of EMNF RAK.

BDK has been organising a series of blood donation camps across the country to mark 54th Eid Al Etihad starting from November 23, Prayag Perambra, president of BDK UAE, said on Tuesday.

"We had started off with one in Sharjah. We held three camps in Dubai, including one yesterday. Today, our camp is in Al Ain and tomorrow in Abu Dhabi. We did around 8,000 blood and plasma donations, excluding emergency cases, across the UAE this year. We always welcome people interested in donating blood and saving lives," he added.