Health Ministry fails to achieve blood target

Dec 21, 2008 News

Despite the efforts of the Health Ministry to collect 10,000 units of blood by the end of this year, Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy has announced that the ministry is going to fail to reach this initial target.

By the end of the year, Minister Ramsammy said, approximately 7,500 units of blood would have been collected.

The ministry will also fail to achieve its second target, which was aimed at acquiring 60 percent voluntary donation of blood.

According to Dr. Ramsammy, the ministry would, in fact, reach only 55 percent of voluntary donation, which he noted is commendable, since the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) would have collected the most blood in its history in a single year.

He explained that, in 2007, the ministry barely touched 7,000 in its goal to achieve 10,000 units of blood, while only 37 percent came from voluntary non-remunerated blood donation.

Up to December 18 last, 7,379 units of blood were collected, of which 4,018 units came from voluntary donations.

“These people came to donate through the blood drives, and walked into our centres because they wanted to give…not because they had a relative in the hospital; and that added up to 55 percent voluntary donation. That’s a significant increase from 37 percent,” Minister Ramsammy said.

In Georgetown, the voluntary donation amounted to 62 percent, while all the blood being collected from other hospitals and private institutions is exclusively for family replacement donors.

In this regard, Dr. Ramsammy once again reiterated that private hospitals need to promote voluntary donors.

He revealed that a total of 180 units of blood were collected from the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, with no voluntary donors; while there were 198 units from Suddie Hospital with 32 donors; 48 units from Linden Complex with seven donors; 160 units from the West Demerara Hospital, with only 10 donors; and 376 units from the New Amsterdam Hospital with 52 donors.

According to Minister Ramsammy, April was the most successful month for donation, as a total of 721 units of blood was collected; while the month of November saw 705 units being collected.

“Those were the only times in the history of Guyana that we collected more than 700 units of blood… I think this is a success story; and in 2009, we will meet the target of 10,000,” Dr Ramsammy said.

He added that, despite not reaching this year’s target of voluntary donation, the ministry is now setting the new target of 70 percent for voluntary donation of blood, to be achieved by the end of 2009.

Minister Ramsammy commended the media for the work they have done in reporting on the blood issues in Guyana. He noted that the media were the reason for the ministry’s success in 2008.