The Ministry of Health (MOH), represented by the Blood Banks Services Department launched today (Monday) the Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Mohammed bin Saif Al-Hosni, MOH Undersecretary for Health Affairs at Crown Plaza Hotel.

Dr. Zainab Al-Arimi, Director of Blood Banks Services Department pointed out that the Ministry of Health has made continues efforts to provide the safe blood through implementing a number of strategies and policies, starting from stop importing blood and relying entirely on the generosity of the Sultanate's citizens and residents. She also added that the NAT is a highly sensitive testing technique detecting the hepatitis B & C, as well as the acquired immune deficiency.

Al-Arimi also indicated that introducing this new technique has gone through many challenges in terms of provision of financial resources, establishing the appropriate place at the Central Blood Bank and the process of transporting samples from all the blood banks and connecting them electronically. This challenge was overcome through the cooperation between the blood banks of the Governorates and the Royal Air Force of Oman to transfer the samples from the Sultan Qaboos Hospital in Salalah, Masirah Hospital and Dibba Hospital regularly.

Dr. Zainab also said, "So far, we were able to test 47,000 blood units, which have been collected in the 12 blood banks from across the sultanate, by the NAT technique".