Lebanon has a decentralized/fragmented transfusion system and like most Middle Eastern countries, its blood supply is mainly based on replacement/family donors (around 70-75%). On the occasion of the World Blood Donor Day (14 June 2017), the Lebanese National Committee of Blood Transfusion (LNCBT) organized its first seminar to analyze the current status of blood supply in Lebanon, its main actors and the problems it faces in order to determine how to best meet blood demands. Although a lot of efforts were made by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) in the transfusion field during the last decade, the present blood supply does not fulfill the target of the World Health Organization (WHO) defined as achieving 100% voluntary non-remunerated blood donation (VNRD). ultimately achieving a sustainable and safe blood supply based on 100% VNRD by the year 2025 (as per WHO recommendation).

In developing countries, the lack of a sufficient and safe blood supply is a significant impediment to providing health care. Lebanon is notable for its absence of a Donor Management System to ensure continuous donor recruitment and scheduling. Herein, we report the findings of Lebanon's first large retrospective population-based study to investigate blood types and donation that is critical for managing community blood supply. MethodsThe non-remunerated voluntary blood donors were recruited by the non-profit organization "Donner Sang Compter". The study spanned six years, from August 2015 to May 2021, and included 36,002 people from 18 districts throughout Lebanon's nine governorates. ResultsThe most prevalent blood type was A (42%), followed by O (37.48%), B (13.86%), and the AB group (6.84%). RhD+ groups were predominant (88.45%), with A+ being the most (37.84%) and AB-being the least prevalent (1.05%). Furthermore, blood type and donation profiling revealed a substantial geographical variation in the frequency of blood groups, despite the relatively small country's area. As for blood donation, when gender and age were considered, young male donors dominated the pool across the country. ConclusionThis study on blood type prevalence and blood donor demographics may pave the way for the development of a more coherent and integrated blood management system in Lebanon, as opposed to the fragmented and decentralized system now in existence. These findings also provide crucial clinical information for the country's future transfusion medicine policies and practices, which is vital in such a precarious part of the world.