NBTS launches blood drive in Region Three

Feb 13, 2009 News

NBTS Technician, Vanessa Darlington tends to the blood donors

As part of the efforts to boost the supply of blood at the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS), a pilot programme geared at gaining support from Regional hospitals was engaged yesterday.

A blood drive was held at the Region Three Democratic Office, which according to NBTS Blood Donor Manager, Shameeza Mangal, came as part of the NBTS collaborating with the West Demerara Regional Hospital.

She disclosed that yesterday’s drive represented the first organised blood drive that the hospital has ever had.

And the move was not spontaneous since, according to Mangal, the emphasis of the drive is to help the NBTS to work towards 100 per cent voluntary donations this year.

Mangal said that although the NBTS fell short of its voluntary blood donation target last year, efforts are being made to ensure that set targets are achieved for this year.

She noted that regional hospitals have been mandated by Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, to start the promotion of voluntary donation in order to move away from family and friends replacement donors, thus creating a boom in donations made voluntarily.

And this move, according to Mangal, is important to ensure that there is an adequate supply of blood and that safe blood is available at the blood bank.

She asserted that based on research that have been conducted worldwide, it has been deduced that the safest units of blood comes from persons who donate voluntarily.

In most instances a voluntary donor is one whose intention is to save a life and not to put one in danger, Mangal said.

It was against this background, she said, that the NBTS collaborated with the West Demerara Regional Hospital.

Yesterday’s drive, according to Nurse Savitri Chandrabose, came as part of the hospital’s contribution to boosting the limited supply of blood available at the NBTS.

She said that the hospital has formulated its own Blood Donor Organiser Committee which serves to solicit the cooperation of hospital staffers, the Regional Executive Officer, members of the community and business sector among others who participate in the drive.

Among the first donors yesterday was Clive Patterson, a Community Development Officer attached to the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs and a regular donor at the NBTS.

Nurse Jean Bhagmania of the West Demerara Hospital was also on hand to donate blood.
And while the drive was intended to garner about 60 units of blood, the target was not achieved, according to Mangal, who disclosed that about 19 units were collected.

She explained though that more efforts will be directed to perfecting the regional blood drives which will undoubtedly boost the quota of blood available at the NBTS.

According to Mangal, members of the hospital’s Blood Donor Organising Committee will be trained overtime and will have a better understanding of how to organise and manage a successful blood drive.