NBTS aims at 100% voluntary donation

Mar 09, 2014 News

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By Romila Boodram and Tiffanne Ramphal

“One pint of my blood can save a life and it feels good to know someone is alive because of me, and I will continue donating my blood and I encourage all healthy Guyanese to come on board,” said Anthony Persaud, a blood donor.

Last year, the country’s National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) recorded a little over 11,000 units of blood, with 96 per cent coming from voluntary donors and 1,000 pints more than the intended target.
The National Blood Transfusion Service was established in 1990 with the main objectives of ensuring the safety of blood through full screening and testing for recognized infectious agents.
The entity, which is located aback of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) was established through collaboration between the World Health Organization (WHO) and European Union (EU).
Between 1990 and 1998, the EU provided technical and material assistance via training of both blood bank personnel and clinicians and the equipment for the NBTS. It also stimulated the formation of the NBTS Advisory Board.
During a recent interview with the Director of the NBTS, Dr. Nadia Liu, this publication was informed that the blood bank is aiming at 100 per cent voluntary blood donors.
“We need to have more voluntary support from the community in order to achieve the 100 per cent voluntary donation.” Liu said.
She explained that the NBTS’s 2014 goal is to move away from family replacement (when family members pay for blood) and to get more persons involved in donating blood.
Blood is essentially the body’s transportation system. As blood circulates, it delivers oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. It also collects waste products and carries them to the organs responsible for making sure the waste leaves the body.

BLOOD GROUP
A blood type (also called a blood group) is a classification of blood based on the presence or absence of inherited antigenic substances on the surface of red blood cells. These antigens may be proteins, carbohydrates, glycoproteins, or glycolipids, depending on the blood group.
A total of 32 human blood group systems are now recognized by the International Society of Blood Transfusion. The two most important ones are ABO and the RhD antigens; they determined someone/s blood type (A, B, AB, and O, with + and – denoting RhD status).

TYPES OF DONATION

Blood donations are divided into groups based on who will receive the collected blood. An ‘allogeneic’ (also called ‘homologous’) donation is when a donor gives blood for storage at the blood bank for transfusion to an unknown recipient.
A ‘directed’ donation is when a person, often a family member, donates blood for transfusion to a specific individual. Directed donations are relatively rare when an established supply exists.
A ‘replacement donor’ donation is a hybrid of the two and is common in developing counties. In this case, a friend or family member of the recipient donates blood to replace the stored blood used in a transfusion, ensuring consistent supply.

TRANSFUSION
A blood transfusion is a simple medical procedure during which a patient receives whole blood or one of its parts through an intravenous line or IV. A nurse will begin an IV. After the needle is inserted into an arm or hand, a tiny plastic tube is left in the vein and attaches to the IV tubing, which is then used to connect to the bag containing the blood. The blood bag is hung upside down from an IV pump that controls the speed of the flow.
The blood flows out of the bag, into the tubing, through the tiny tube in the skin, and into the bloodstream. The whole process takes about 15 minutes.

RECIPIENT SAFETY
Donors are screened for health risks that could make the donation unsafe for the recipient. Donors are examined for signs and symptoms of diseases that can be transmitted in a blood transfusion such as HIV, malaria and viral hepatitis.
“The donor should be in good health. He or she should not have any tattoos done within the last year and no malaria within the last three years,” Dr. Liu stressed.
Kaieteur News understands that tests can take as long as 72 hours before the blood is ready for distribution. Blood components are separated into divisions in a laboratory.

The shelf life of whole blood is 35 days; blast frozen plasma can last up to one year, platelets can last up to five days. (However many patients only need one part of the blood and not the whole blood.)
A person having open heart surgery could require as much as 22 units of blood. People involved in accidents could also need as much as nine units of blood, while pregnant women needing blood can utilize as much as seven to nine units of blood.
Asked if there was a shortage of blood at the blood bank, Dr. Liu said, “there are moments when there are emergency cases and they (GPHC) need more than is required. In times like that we would ask the media to carry something to get people to come in.”

FOUR HEALTH BENEFITS OF DONATING BLOOD
Free health checkups – you can donate blood only if you are fit enough to do so. Before every blood donation process, a series of health check-ups are performed on the donor totally free of cost.
–    Reduces risk of heart disease – regular blood donation helps to keep the levels of iron in the body in check, especially in males; this has shown to reduce heart disease.
–    Burns calories – one-time blood donation helps you shed 650 Kcal. This can aid you in your body weight control measures.
–    Reduces the risk of cancer – high levels of iron have been implicated in cancer, theoretically, donating blood frequently will reduce the risk of cancers.
Blood can be donated at the NBTS, as well as the Linden, Suddie, New Amsterdam and West Demerara Hospitals.

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