Pakistan needs to shed reliance on family donors

Islamabad

Pakistan needs to promote the culture of voluntary blood donations by shedding its current reliance on family donors to sustain the transfusion system. This unenviable situation places unnecessary burden on families of patients who are already under stress. Reliance on voluntary and regular blood donors will improve the blood safety standards manifold.

Expectations to this effect echoed at a World Blood Donor Day event organized by the Safe Blood Transfusion Programme (SBTP) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). Dr. Tariq Fazal Choudhry, Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division was the chief guest on the occasion. Representatives of the WHO, KFW, GIZ, PRCS, and UNAIDS, as well as a large number of college and university students and other stakeholders including the media were also present.

Tariq Fazal informed that the construction of a modern Regional Blood Centre in Islamabad will begin soon through German funding on land provided by the government. This Centre will serve as a blood procurement and distribution centre for the Islamabad, ensuring quality systems to regulate all activities which will involve mobilization and retention of voluntary and regular blood donors, maintenance of donor database, collection of blood donations as well as processing, screening, testing, component preparation, and storage of prepared components.

Speaking on the occasion, Professor Zaheer, Project Director of SBTP emphasized the need to transform the current ‘demand driven system’ into a ‘supply driven system’ as is the case in countries having efficient blood systems. “To achieve this objective, the healthy members of the society, particularly youth, have to come forward and donate blood on a regular basis, three to four times a year,” he stated.

Professor Zaheer added that the Islamabad Regional Blood Centre, which will have been established by the end of next year, which must have 100% reliance on voluntary and regular blood donors. The programme has chalked two strategies to achieve this target; conversion of suitable family donors into voluntary and regular blood donors and strengthening of university-based blood donor organizations. These efforts, along with sensitization of the public about the significance of blood safety, will yield promising results,” he added.

WHO representative Dr. Zulfiqar Khan said, WHO will continue to provide technical assistance to promote voluntary blood donations in Pakistan in addition to all aspects of vein-to-vein transfusion. Dr. Masuma Zaidi from the German Development Bank KFW said, the German government will continue its assistance for the programme.

Some winners of the WBDD speech competition also made their speeches. Prizes, certificates and shields were awarded to winners of the poster and essay competitions organized to promote voluntary blood donations.