Argentina support being sought for Region 10 blood bank

May 27, 2017 News

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Guyana is pushing for Argentine assistance to help build a blood collecting facility in Region 10 [Upper Demerara/Berbice]. Keenly advocating for this assistance is Minister within the Ministry of Public Health,

Dr. Karen Cummings.
This comes even as the two countries are looking to strengthen 45 years of diplomatic relations which will lead to vast improvements in the critically-needed National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS).
This possibility was reiterated during recent talks between Dr. Cummings and Mr. Luis Martino, Ambassador of the Argentine Republic to Guyana.
Martino had a prior stint in Guyana as the Argentine chargé d’affaires.
The two countries had inked a technical cooperation pact in mid-2015, under which Guyana will benefit from the expertise available under the agreement to boost the country’s National Blood Transfusion Service [NBTS].
Blood supply in the public health sector has been maintained purely by voluntary donations by the nation’s multi-ethnic population.
Four years ago public health authorities recorded some 89 per cent voluntary donors which climbed to 94 per cent the following year. However, between January and June of 2015 when the pact between Georgetown, Guyana and Buenos Aires, Argentina was sealed, the figure had reached 100 per cent.
According to national figures, some 80 percent of blood donated to the NBTS comes from Regions Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara) and Four (Demerara/Mahaica) and there are great prospects in the Region famous for its bauxite production.
During the recent discussion between Dr. Cummings and Martino, the idea of a tripartite pact involving the two countries and PAHO/WHO was highlighted. It is expected that such a move will help to improve national blood collection here, despite Guyana’s current human resource challenges, equipment shortfall and the lack of critical knowledge in the blood collection sector.
It was also envisaged that the tripartite pact can aim at telemedicine as an initiative targeting the reduction of maternal mortality and the incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) here, Cummings and Martino agreed.
The deepening South-South cooperation is seen as pivotal to maintaining voluntary donation, while making better other aspects of the NBTS, Dr. Cummings and Martino said during talks at the former’s Brickdam, Georgetown office.
The current agreement has four stages, with the latest talks zeroing in on the final phase and looking ahead to future agreements.
Last year, three Guyanese attached to the NBTS had skills-enhancing training in Argentina and the new expertise garnered then is to be practically applied here under what the two sides refer to as Phase Four, which includes “building and strengthening human capacity and skills to exchange knowledge and technology in relation to blood services,” according to the terms of the agreement.
So far, the local NBTS has had a diagnostic visit by Argentine experts; physicians operating in both the public and private sectors have benefitted from Continuous Medical Education offered by Buenos Aires at their Hemotherapy Centre of the Garrahan Hospital Centre, while practical aspects of the CME training will be fleshed out when a team of specialists from Argentina visits Guyana later this year.
“During the visit, the team will conduct an audit of the NBTS, which will include an examination of blood donors’ recruitment and retention. It is imperative that this activity be conducted as soon as possible.
This will ensure that the NBTS maintains its high quality and standards, as well as its compliance with internationally recognised best practices,” the joint agreement specifies.
Continuing it said: “The Government of Guyana looks forward to broadening and strengthening its relationship with the Government of Argentina and for both countries to continue collaboration in the field of public health. With the help of the Argentine experts from the Garrahan Hemotherapy Centre, the NBTS of Guyana will continue to deliver the highest quality of standards of blood transfusion services to the people of Guyana.”
Guyana and Argentina established diplomatic relations in June 1972 and since then, Ambassador Martino said, the independent nations “have achieved a lot” and have now set their collective eyes on improving the capacity-building capabilities between the South American Republics.

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