ISLAMABAD - Unlike other countries there is no national voluntary blood donation programme that could recruit and retain donors and the existing blood transfusion system is defective and fragmented lacking voluntary blood donors calling for the need that blood donors be urged to volunteer.
Dr. Hasan Abbas Zaheer, National Project Manager of National Blood Transfusion Services Project, stressed that there is a dire need to promote voluntary blood donations as 80 to 85 percent blood transfusions are based on family replacement donors or paid donors who are not ideal donors according to the World Health Organization. Voluntary blood donors are the ideal ones as they donate healthy blood without any greed.
He was speaking at a press conference held on the day of World Blood Donor Day here Thursday.
He informed that this year’s theme “Every blood donor is a hero” has been selected to recognize the silent and unsung heroes who save lives every day through their blood donations and to encourage more people all over the world to donate blood voluntarily and regularly.
He revealed that 40 percent blood transfusions are held in the country without screening and 60 percent transfusions are screened but only for three diseases including HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B and C. But the WHO recommends the screening of five diseases before any transfusion.
He said that in Bonair, Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, about 30 percent transfusions are held without screening due to non-availability of screening kits, as the government does not release funds for the transfusion centers.
He informed that through a Safe Blood Transfusion Services Programme with a total budget of Rs 2.5 billion including 17 million euro FEC for the first five-year phase 78 blood banks would be upgraded and 13 regional centers would be established in the country to ensure safe blood transfusions. Designation
WHO Blood Safety and Hepatitis Programme Head Dr. Quaid Saeed said that blood or its products are required on regular basis to patients who are suffering from genetic disorders of blood such as Thalassemia or hemophilia. They require blood for their survival throughout their life. He informed that there are about five to 600,000 thalassaemics in Pakistan for whom the best gift is the gift of life in the shape of blood.
Conditions such as cancers, accidents, terrorist attacks also need large amounts of blood in order to save the precious lives, he said. Maternal mortality rate is also high in the country due to non-availability of safe blood due to which mothers die during pregnancies after excessive bleeding.
He regretted that there is no such body in the country at national level that saves volunteer blood and supply to the needy patients whenever they need. The country needs three to four million of blood units annually to save precious lives but even half of them are not collected.
They informed that in 62 countries, national blood supplies are based on 100 percent (or more than 99.9%) voluntary unpaid blood donation.
However, 40 countries still depend on family donors, and even paid donors, and collect less than 25 percent of their blood supplies from voluntary unpaid blood donors.
Unfortunately, in our region the situation is no better. Only two countries have declared 100 percent non-remunerated voluntary blood donation, in spite of all efforts to increase this proportion, and in spite of sincere advocacy for voluntary non-remunerated blood donations.