Latest update December 17th, 2024 3:32 AM
Blood situation still critical – Dr. Ramsammy
Dr. Leslie Ramsammy
Health Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, has debunked the contention that pregnant women admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital with low blood counts are responsible for the shortage of blood at the National Blood Transfusion Service.
The National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) has been experiencing a severe shortage of blood within recent weeks.
Minister Ramsammy said that the shortage has to do with persons not donating blood on a regular basis, especially during the month of August.
This, he said, has to do with the fact that many persons were ‘taken up’ with the events during the hosting of CARIFESTA X in Guyana.
He added that the situation is still critical, despite the urgent plea, but persons have now recognized the importance of having enough blood available.
Currently, requests for blood are coming daily from the GPHC, where surgeries have had to be postponed, due to the shortage. The blood bank is now struggling on a daily basis to satisfy the demands made by the hospital.
The NBTS would usually receive approximately 144 units of blood each day, but now it is taking the blood bank close to four months to receive only 165 units.
When the urgent plea was issued by the blood bank, the NBTS had only 11 units of blood in store.
Kaieteur News was told that if a major disaster was to occur, there would not have been enough blood at that time to assist. However, it was noted that this is not the case now, as persons are now coming forward to donate.
It was explained that if persons continue to voluntarily donate blood on a regular basis, the blood bank would not experience any shortage.
Anyone who is over 16 years of age and weighs a minimum of 110 pounds is eligible to donate blood. Persons can keep donating once every two months, since blood has a shelf life of only 35 days.
With an increasing demand for blood today, the NBTS has had to revamp its blood donation service.
As such, it is calling for regular, unpaid voluntary blood donors to step up to the humanitarian need and join the Good Samaritan Programme in reaching its target of 10,000 units of safe blood by year end.
The NBTS provides blood to hospitals across the region, including the private and regional hospitals.
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