By Edzorna Francis Mensah
Dr. Sebastian Ngmenenso Sandaare, the Member of Parliament for Daffiama/Bussie/Issa, has called on the government to make adequate resources available for the National Blood Service to address some of the challenges the service is currently facing.
According to him, the service is facing several challenges, leading to a high cost of “blood for safe through middlemen” without recourse to the quality and safety of the blood.
He said, when the government, through the Ministry of Health, meets the needed demands, the health facilities can make safe blood available for patients to access without stress.
The MP who raised these concerns in an interview with our Parliamentary Affairs Correspondent following his question as to “measures put in place to ensure the availability of safe blood for transfusion in our health facilities”, submitted that, “the State make safe blood available, accessible and free for those who need it”.
Dr. Sandaare also bemoaned the situation where people would have to pay for blood screening when they are asked to donate blood to support their relations that are in critical need of it.
The Minister, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu who was responding to talking measures adopted by the Ministry in line with the World Health Organization recommendation for an integrated strategy for the provision of safe blood for transfusion in health facilities said, collection of blood from voluntary unpaid blood donors at low risk of infection that can be transmitted through blood and the phasing out of family/replacement donation and elimination of paid donors.
He stressed the point that “a strategy is being pursued to convert family/replacement donors into voluntary blood donors”, education and clinical screening of blood donors using a carefully designed questionnaire and a Blood Donor Selection and Care Manual to select eligible donors.
The Sector Minister also added that, the “mandatory testing of all donated blood for transfusion transmissible infection (TTIs), particularly HIV, Syphilis and Hepatitis B&C.
This is backed by the National Strategy for screening of donated blood and Immunohaematological Testing which was launched by the Ministry on March 8, 2022.
The National Strategy set out algorithms that define the actual tests to be conducted on every donated blood before it is transfused or discarded.
Mr. Manu says an emphasis is put on the promotion of safe clinical transfusion procedures and the rationale use of blood to reduce unnecessary transfusions through continuing medical education for clinicians.
“Standard operation guidelines on blood safety in Hospital Blood Banks have been developed and disseminated to health facilities that transfuse blood. Compliance with the blood safety guidelines is closely monitored and enforced to ensure patient safety.
Incorporation of quality management system in the whole value chain of blood transfusion to ensure safe blood.”
