USAID hands over 115,000 blood safety kits to Pakistan
June 29, 2012
Islamabad
Six million safe blood transfusions will be enabled in Pakistan by virtue of a USAID-funded initiative under which 115,000 blood safety kits, constituting the first instalment of a two-year countrywide supply of laboratory reagents for blood banks in the country’s public and private sectors, were handed over to the government at a ceremony held at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) here Thursday.
The commitment was formalised between acting mission director of USAID Karen Freeman and secretary of the Ministry of Capital Administration and Development Imtiaz Inayat Elahi. The ceremony was attended, among others, by the executive director of PIMS Prof. Dr. Mehmood Jamal, country director of the USAID Deliver Project Dr. Muhammad Tariq, national coordinator of the Safe Blood Transfusion Services Programme (SBTP) Dr. Hassan Zaheer and deputy director (Indoor) PIMS Dr. Farhana Zareef.
Out of the first tranche of the blood safety kits, which will be delivered to medical facilities located in the Islamabad region, the blood bank at PIMS was the first to receive its share. The kits will be used to test blood for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV pathogens. Many public and private sector health facilities across Pakistan will be receiving the blood screening kits on a quarterly basis, henceforth.
“Quality blood screening identifies the presence of pathogens and prevents the spread of blood-borne infections,” Imtiaz Inayat said, thanking USAID for the valuable assistance. He took pride in the fact that SBTP, which was planned in 2008 when he was additional secretary health, has reached an enviable stage in just four years. The programme, he said, was prepared in anticipation of the 18th Amendment so that today, there are independent components for all provinces as well as the Islamabad Capital Territory. He mentioned that the Regional Blood Transfusion Unit will be housed at PIMS to facilitate existing blood transfusion services.
Dr. Hasan Zaheer conceded that the kits will fill a critical gap in the recently approved federal, provincial, and regional Blood Safety Plan. He thanked Dr. Mohammad Tariq for facilitating procurement.
Karen hoped that the donation would contribute to strengthening of Pakistan’s healthcare system. “Along with these blood safety kits comes a pledge by USAID to provide technical assistance for Pakistan’s hepatitis infection control programme. Together with the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, USAID will work closely with provincial governments to develop sentinel surveillance sites and strategies for hepatitis infection control, as well as train medical professionals on key infection control measures at medical facilities,” she announced.
Turning back the clock, Karen reminded the audience that the US has been supporting improvements in Pakistan’s healthcare sector for over six decades now, one of the earliest US initiatives being the construction of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre in 1959. “The US government helped launch of the Centre’s medical education programmes which now train the majority of healthcare service providers in the country,” she mentioned.
Since 2009, USAID has provided over $80 million dollars of essential medical supplies to Pakistan. Through its Deliver Project, it has brought contraceptive commodities, tuberculosis drugs, diagnostic machines and tools, blood safety supplies, and cold chain equipment for routine immunization programmes to all 143 districts of the country. Each of these supplies is critical for the implementation of key national health care programmes. “We also help federal, provincial, and district governments to strengthen supply chain management, logistics, information systems, and delivery of health commodities,” Karen counted.
USAID’s Deliver Project will transport the blood safety kits to public and private blood banks throughout Pakistan. This project is working to strengthen the ability of Pakistan’s health sector to deliver health commodities to those in need. The project recently inaugurated a $4 million central warehouse in Karachi and will install computerised logistic networks in all 144 districts in 2012 to help prevent stock outs of medical commodities. It is expected that pilferage, leakages, rationing and corruption will be minimised within the contraceptive supply chain as result of these improvements. The project also delivers medical supplies and equipment to federal, provincial, and district governments throughout Pakistan.
Six million safe blood transfusions will be enabled in Pakistan by virtue of a USAID-funded initiative under which 115,000 blood safety kits, constituting the first instalment of a two-year countrywide supply of laboratory reagents for blood banks in the country’s public and private sectors, were handed over to the government at a ceremony held at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) here Thursday.
The commitment was formalised between acting mission director of USAID Karen Freeman and secretary of the Ministry of Capital Administration and Development Imtiaz Inayat Elahi. The ceremony was attended, among others, by the executive director of PIMS Prof. Dr. Mehmood Jamal, country director of the USAID Deliver Project Dr. Muhammad Tariq, national coordinator of the Safe Blood Transfusion Services Programme (SBTP) Dr. Hassan Zaheer and deputy director (Indoor) PIMS Dr. Farhana Zareef.
Out of the first tranche of the blood safety kits, which will be delivered to medical facilities located in the Islamabad region, the blood bank at PIMS was the first to receive its share. The kits will be used to test blood for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV pathogens. Many public and private sector health facilities across Pakistan will be receiving the blood screening kits on a quarterly basis, henceforth.
“Quality blood screening identifies the presence of pathogens and prevents the spread of blood-borne infections,” Imtiaz Inayat said, thanking USAID for the valuable assistance. He took pride in the fact that SBTP, which was planned in 2008 when he was additional secretary health, has reached an enviable stage in just four years. The programme, he said, was prepared in anticipation of the 18th Amendment so that today, there are independent components for all provinces as well as the Islamabad Capital Territory. He mentioned that the Regional Blood Transfusion Unit will be housed at PIMS to facilitate existing blood transfusion services.
Dr. Hasan Zaheer conceded that the kits will fill a critical gap in the recently approved federal, provincial, and regional Blood Safety Plan. He thanked Dr. Mohammad Tariq for facilitating procurement.
Karen hoped that the donation would contribute to strengthening of Pakistan’s healthcare system. “Along with these blood safety kits comes a pledge by USAID to provide technical assistance for Pakistan’s hepatitis infection control programme. Together with the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, USAID will work closely with provincial governments to develop sentinel surveillance sites and strategies for hepatitis infection control, as well as train medical professionals on key infection control measures at medical facilities,” she announced.
Turning back the clock, Karen reminded the audience that the US has been supporting improvements in Pakistan’s healthcare sector for over six decades now, one of the earliest US initiatives being the construction of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre in 1959. “The US government helped launch of the Centre’s medical education programmes which now train the majority of healthcare service providers in the country,” she mentioned.
Since 2009, USAID has provided over $80 million dollars of essential medical supplies to Pakistan. Through its Deliver Project, it has brought contraceptive commodities, tuberculosis drugs, diagnostic machines and tools, blood safety supplies, and cold chain equipment for routine immunization programmes to all 143 districts of the country. Each of these supplies is critical for the implementation of key national health care programmes. “We also help federal, provincial, and district governments to strengthen supply chain management, logistics, information systems, and delivery of health commodities,” Karen counted.
USAID’s Deliver Project will transport the blood safety kits to public and private blood banks throughout Pakistan. This project is working to strengthen the ability of Pakistan’s health sector to deliver health commodities to those in need. The project recently inaugurated a $4 million central warehouse in Karachi and will install computerised logistic networks in all 144 districts in 2012 to help prevent stock outs of medical commodities. It is expected that pilferage, leakages, rationing and corruption will be minimised within the contraceptive supply chain as result of these improvements. The project also delivers medical supplies and equipment to federal, provincial, and district governments throughout Pakistan.
