NBTS acquires over 600 units for March

Apr 12, 2009 News

Although the Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy has officially banned private hospitals, from collecting and screening blood, the act is still occurring at the private health institutions.
Kaieteur News understands that as of recent, the National Blood Transfusion Services (NBTS) has received information that a few private hospitals are still asking persons to donate blood, despite not having the requisite laboratory facilities to test for three diseases, which includes, Chagas disease, HTLV (a sexually transmitted disease) and hepatitis C.

NBTS Manager Shameeza Mangal

It is not clear what penalties are in place for those private hospitals that are still collecting blood. Efforts to contact Minister Ramsammy on the matter proved futile.
Since March 1, 2006, all private hospitals have been prohibited from collecting and screening blood from donors.
The private health institutions are being asked to enhance their laboratories, in order to facilitate the proper testing and screening of blood collected from donors, so that the blood is made entirely safe. The NBTS has recently acquired the capacity to test for Chagas disease.
Unless the private hospitals meet the same standards like the NBTS, they would not be allowed to collect blood from donors.
Meanwhile, the situation at the blood bank seems to be improving, as the NBTS has been able to acquire a total of 694 units of blood for March.
Of the lot, 254 units were from family replacement, while the remainder came from voluntary donors.
However, the NBTS seems to be experiencing some difficulties in acquiring blood from the Regional Health Facilities across the country.
National Blood Donor Manager of the NBTS, Shameeza Mangal, told Kaieteur News yesterday that the Ministry of Health is trying its best to improve the blood collection in the out reach areas, but so far, it is not proving successful.
Despite this, Mangal noted that the NBTS is still responding to the needs of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), in supplying them with blood when they need it.
With the new buffer stock of blood for March, Mangal explained that the NBTS has been able to increase its monthly stock. In February, 624 units of blood were collected.
Meanwhile, the NBTS is still experiencing difficulties in convincing persons to donate. According to Mangal, the blood bank is preparing and changing the mindset of people as it relates to donating blood.
She explained that most persons are still afraid of the needle and thus, whenever a blood drive is being conducted much sensitization has to be done to the donors.