KARACHI: Need stressed to streamline blood donation
KARACHI, June 22: The Sindh Health Minister, Shabbir Ahmed Qaimkhani, on Thursday warned that strict action would be taken against fake/unregistered blood banks operating throughout the province, saying that no concession would be given in this regard.
He was speaking at a programme jointly organized by the Sindh Blood Transfusion Authority and the Hussaini Blood Bank at a local hotel.
The programme, ‘Celebrating the Gift of Blood’ was organized in connection with the ‘World Blood Donors Day 2006’.
Mr Qaimkhani said that imparting quality training to staff, upgrading standards and adopting new technologies in blood transfusion were very important for ensuring safe procedures.
He said there was an urgent need for promoting safe and voluntary blood donation services in the province.
He said that blood donation awareness programmes would be held throughout the province at the district, tehsil, and UC levels so that people can be told about the importance of blood donation and its positive impacts upon their own health.
He compared blood to divine gifts like water, and listed various circumstances under which blood was needed.
He applauded the services of the Hussaini Blood Bank in providing donation of blood particularly in the earthquake affected areas of Pakistan, and assured it of full cooperation to the bank.
The Sindh Secretary Health, Prof Dr Naushad Ahmed Shaikh, said that stringent regulations at blood donation places were required to ensure safe donation of blood.
He requested people to take blood only from registered blood banks and avoid going to the fake and unregistered ones.
Dr Sarfaraz Jafri of the Hussaini Blood Bank and Director of the Global Fund Project for Safe Blood Technique said that thousands of people died every year in Pakistan due to improper means of blood donation and misconception among the masses about blood donation.
Dr Manzoor Memon, Additional Health Secretary (Development), said that voluntary donors had the lowest incidence of hepatitis B and C and other diseases unlike professional blood donors, who sold their blood for money.
Dr Capt Majid, Additional Health Secretary (Technical), said that commercial blood donors had the highest percentage of fatal diseases and people should avoid taking blood from them.
This, he said, could inflict severe diseases in their bodies, which might be more troublesome than their existing diseases, if any.
Dr Syed Abdul Mujib of the Jinnah Hospital said the government should take emergency measures for ensuring safe transfusion of blood in the province, as it could save the lives of people being affected by the unhealthy means of blood donation.
He said there was no dearth of healthy blood donors in Pakistan and all that was needed was to urgently streamline the source.
“This is extremely urgent as one in three mothers suffering from haemorrhage dies every three minutes, across the country, for want of blood,” he said.
Further elaborating the need to strengthen culture of blood donation, he said that there some 60,000 to 70,000 thalassaemic children in the country, each requiring two pints of blood per month.
Expecting mothers and thalassemic children were said to be the established cases along with thousands of those exposed to vehicular accidents, trauma, collisions, patients undergoing surgery and other relevant case in dire need of blood.
Pakistan is currently experiencing an annual shortfall of 40 per cent of blood against a need for three million pints, he said.
Doctors and representative of NGOs working in areas of health and social workers attended the programme.—PPI/APP
