Lab techs benefit from safe blood transfusion training

Aug 12, 2012 News

Aimed at helping to reduce maternal and general mortality in Guyana, laboratory technicians from across the country were on Thursday able to benefit from Safe Blood Transfusion Training.
The training took on the form of a workshop which came through collaboration between the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and the Ministry of Health. The venue was Cara Lodge located in Quamina Street, Georgetown. The forum targeted in excess of 25 lab technicians drawn from both public and private health facilities in Regions One, Two, Three, Four, Six and Seven.
According to PAHO/WHO, in Guyana, the data from 2009 indicate that blood availability has increased from 56.56 in 2003 to 98.44 units per 10,000 inhabitants, and this is considered low. However, more efficient blood collection systems will result in immediate increases in blood availability and better use of national resources, including blood for transfusion to mothers.
Moreover, it has been deduced that efficient collection and distribution of blood for transfusion can only be done after a precise estimate of the requirement for blood in each hospital or health care facility. In order to ensure the availability of adequate blood for transfusion for pregnant women and the general population, support was requested from PAHO/WHO.
The one-day workshop was facilitated by an International Consultant, Dr. Ana del Pozo, who engaged the participants in interactive sessions as she sought to amplify the importance of blood safety.
According to a PAHO/WHO official, the workshop was in fact a follow-up of a previous workshop held last November, to train the same level of health personnel. The purpose of the training, the official said, is to improve the process of estimating the need for blood and blood components at both public and private hospitals in Guyana.
The objective of the undertaking was to assess the level of blood collection and distribution at regional and national hospitals, and to conduct training of national and regional health care personnel in the use of the blood transfusion record books.
PAHO/WHO has been making various recommendations over the years that are usually extended to various countries, with the record book recommendation being based on the guidelines contained in PAHO/WHO’s ‘Recommendations for Estimating the Need for Blood and Blood Components’.
It has been recognised that efficient collection and distribution of blood transfusion can only be done after a precise estimate of the requirement for blood in each hospital or health care facility. It was against this background that support was requested by the Ministry of Health to determine the annual requirements of blood that should be available for transfusion to pregnant women and the general population, thus reducing maternal and general mortality.
Over the years, PAHO/WHO has been rendering technical cooperation to the Ministry of Health, which is not limited to safe blood transfusion, but also includes cooperation in Health Systems and Services, Malaria, Health Promotion, Maternal and Child Health, the Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) and even Tuberculosis, among other areas.
PAHO, which celebrates its 110th anniversary this year, is the oldest public health organization in the world. It works with its member countries to improve the health and the quality of life of the people of the Americas. It also serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of WHO.

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Lab techs benefit from safe blood transfusion training

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