KARACHI: Highlighting German government’s dedicated support that has helped Pakistan make a remarkable progress in the field of blood safety, speakers at the concluding day of a conference on Sunday underscored the need for an effective public awareness campaign at the national level to encourage people for voluntary blood donation.

Titled ‘TransFusion 2023 — Revitalising Blood Banking in Pakistan’, the conference was organised by the Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN) in collaboration with the International Society of Blood Transfusion, Asian Association of Blood Banks, Turkish Blood Foundation and the Pakistan Society of Haematology.

Over 250 delegates from all over Pakistan participated in the conference, which was also addressed by experts representing the World Health Organisation, International Society of Blood Transfusion, the USA, Türkiye and Iran.

According to the speakers, the blood transfusion landscape in Pakistan has undergone a major transformation with a paradigm shift towards cohesive blood transfusion services since the inception of the Pak-German Joint Safe Blood Transfusion Project in 2007.

German envoy says 15 blood centres are serving 40pc of population in Pakistan

They pointed out that a substantial financial commitment of 25 million euros from the German Development Bank (KfW) between 2010 and 2023 led to the establishment of 15 regional blood centers and equipped 84 hospital blood banks nationwide.

“This investment in infrastructure and technology has significantly enhanced the capacity and efficiency of blood transfusion services across the country, while the invaluable technical cooperation of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) from 2009 to 2016 propelled supportive legislative reforms and the establishment and activation of provincial blood transfusion authorities,” IHHN President Dr Abdul Bari Khan stated in the welcome address.

In pursuit of optimising service delivery structures, he explained public-private partnerships were initiated in Punjab and Sindh, bringing together the respective provincial governments and private partners such as the IHHN, Sukkur Blood Bank and Fatimid Foundation.

“These pivotal changes have set the stage for a more organised and efficient blood transfusion system in Pakistan.”

In his address, Ambassador of Germany to Pakistan Alfred Grannas said the impressive history of mutual assistance between German and Pakistan demonstrated what empathy and dedication could do for the betterment of human life.

“It’s a great achievement. The 15 state-of-the-art blood centres are serving 40pc of the Pakistani population,” he said while tracing history of German assistance for Pakistan’s healthcare continuing for decades.

During the event, it was highlighted that the IHNN today stood at the forefront of centralised blood banking in Pakistan with four regional blood centers and 21 hospital blood banks annually serving approximately 700,000 patients.

The senior director of blood transfusion services at the IHNN, Dr Saba Jamal, in her presentation informed the audience that 95 per cent blood donations in the country came from the patient’s family.

She underscored the need for a mass campaign at the national level to create awareness about the benefits of voluntary blood donation.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2023