The College of Health Sciences in Qunfudha was honored to sponsor the voluntary initiative (With Laboratory I Start) on Tuesday, 17^th Rabie I 1439H. The event aimed to raise awareness of the significance of pre-marital screening for genetic blood diseases. It was also held in partnership with Qunfudha Health Affairs represented by Al-Modilf Hospital, Department of Laboratories and Blood Banks.

On the occasion of the International Volunteer Day (IVD), in an unprecedented initiative and in line with the Saudi Vision 2030, the Ministry of Health (MOH) adopted the Initiative to Motivate Volunteering. In other words, a campaign was being carried out at the level of all MOH health facilities aiming at spreading the culture of health volunteerism among its employees through voluntary initiatives on the IVD. Such initiatives would be participated into by the facilities’ leaders and staff under the slogan, “My Volunteering Is Health.”  

Within this framework, and in order to achieve the objectives of the College of Health Sciences in implementing its community service mission, the College sponsored the initiative by organizing a seminar on genetic blood diseases. Therefore, such community participation aimed at joint upgrade of health awareness and protection of future generations against the aforementioned diseases. 

On the other hand, the seminar began with an introduction to the definition, types, symptoms, complications, as well as the prevention and treatment methods of genetic blood diseases. This was followed by a lecture on the Pre-Marital Screening Program. Such lecture also discussed the efforts exerted by KSA to diminish the spread of blood diseases and thus reduce the financial burden of treatment on family and society.  

Afterwards, a lecture on voluntary work was given. It focused on health volunteerism and its resulting objectives in the volunteer himself and society.

In addition to that, the seminar included a rich discussion followed by a short film about a suffering patient who eventually took the right way to choose a comprehensive healthy marriage. 

In this regard, the attendees were invited to participate in the event via the hashtag titled, (# My_ Volunteering_ Is_ Health).

At the end of the event, the Department of Laboratories at Al-Modilf Hospital was thanked and honored. Such appreciation was also extended to all leaders, contributors in the success of the initiative. Moreover, the participants and staff members expressed their thanks to the organizers of this seminar. They stressed the need to spread the concept of comprehensive healthy marriage, and promised that each of them would be an ambassador of health and safety within his/her community.