RIYADH: The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance in collaboration with the Blood Bank at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSHRC), have been running a blood donation campaign at several mosques in Riyadh.

The campaign began at the beginning of Ramadan, with the hospital coordinating donations after Taraweeh prayers, said Abdullah Al-Mudlij, the ministry’s programs and events supervisor.

He said Muslims would be rewarded for donating blood by Almighty Allah because it conforms to the principles of Islam. He thanked the donors and Islamic Affairs Minister Sheikh Saleh Al-Asheikh for supporting this humanitarian cause.

The ministry organized a blood donation campaign among its employees in cooperation with the KFSHRC this year over five days.

According to studies, blood donors are 88 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack and 33 percent less likely to have any type of cardiovascular disease.

Donating blood helps to rid the body of excess iron. It has been known for a while that menstruating women have fewer heart attacks due to lower iron levels, said another study.