National Orientation cum Training Program on Blood Safety in Chandigarh

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National Orientation cum Training Program on Blood Safety Begins at

Chandigarh

Dec 18th, 2008 | By News Team | Category: Chandigarh, Health

Manoj Godara, Chandigarh, 18th December, 2008 :An Orientation cum

Training program on Blood safety, jointly hosted by State AIDS Control

Society, Chandigarh and Blood Transfusion Council, Chandigarh, is on

the go at hotel Aroma from 18 to 20 December, 2008 under National AIDS

Control Programme (NACP) of GOI.

The conference includes the Program officers of 17 states who have congregated

to deliberate on the National Blood Policy (NBP) and communicate various

programs under NACP- III.

Though, the focus will be essentially on discussing the

various activities carried out by the delegates in their respective

states with regard to safe blood donations. The representatives will

be taken for a field visit to various blood banks in the Tricity.

Chandigarh has been spotted as the conference venue by NACO (National

AIDS Control Organization) because of its exemplary contribution in

blood donation.

Talking on the occasion Dr Rajesh Gopal, one of the architects of NBP

with more than 10 years of experience at AIIMS and 8 years tune-up

with SACS Gujarat highlights, " For quality, safety and efficacy of

blood and blood products, well-equipped blood centers with adequate

infrastructure and trained manpower is an essential requirement. For

effective clinical use of blood, it is necessary to train clinical staff.

The need of the hour is to attain maximum safety, good manufacturing

practices and implementation of quality system moving towards total

quality management. It is healthy to donate blood and most importantly

don't wait for the problem to loom over your head to go ahead with

this noble cause rather be a cause for someone's survival. If not more

than in average a person should at least donate blood once in a year

and I strongly believe in Club 25 for a healthy start. "

A well organized Blood Transfusion Service (BTS) is a vital component

of any health care delivery system. An integrated strategy for Blood

Safety is required for elimination of transfusion transmitted

infections and for provision of safe and adequate blood transfusion

service to the people. The main component of an integrated strategy

include collection of blood only from voluntary, non-remunerated blood

donors, screening for all transfusion transmitted infections and

reduction of unnecessary transfusion.

Blood transfusion is the process of transferring blood or blood-based

products from one person into the circulatory system of another. Blood

transfusions can be life-saving in some situations, such as massive

blood loss due to trauma, or can be used to replace blood lost during

surgery.

Blood transfusions may also be used to treat a severe anemia

or thrombocytopenia caused by a blood disease. People suffering from

hemophilia or sickle-cell disease may require frequent blood

transfusions. Early transfusions used Whole Blood, but modern medical

practice is to use only components of the blood.

Dr Gopal further reiterated that " the Blood Transfusion Service in the

country is highly decentralized and lacks many vital resources like

manpower, adequate infrastructure and financial base. The main issue,

which plagues blood banking system in the country, is fragmented

management. The standards vary from state to state, cities to cities

and centre to centre in the same city. "

The NBP aims to ensure easily accessible and adequate supply of safe

and quality blood and blood components collected/procured from a

voluntary non-remunerated blood donor in well equipped premises, which

is free from transfusion transmitted infections, and is stored and

transported under optimum conditions and transfusion under supervision

of trained personnel for all who need it irrespective of their

economic or social status through comprehensive, efficient and a total

quality management approach.

To achieve the above aim, the following objectives are drawn:

1. To firmly reiterate the govt. commitment to provide safe and

adequate quantity of blood, blood components and blood products.

2. To make available adequate resources to develop and reorganize

the blood transfusion services in the entire country

3. To make latest technology available for operating the blood

transfusion services and ensure it's functioning in an updated manner.

4. To launch extensive awareness programs for donor information,

education, motivation, recruitment and retention in order to ensure

adequate availability of safe blood.

5. To encourage appropriate clinical use of blood and blood products.

6. To strengthen the manpower through human resource development.

7. To encourage Research and Development in the field of

Transfusion Medicine and related technology.

8. To take adequate regulatory and legislative steps for monitoring

and evaluation of blood transfusion services and take steps to

eliminate profiteering in blood banks.

The need to spread voluntary blood donation movement to states lagging

behind by involving the youth and networking of blood bank branches

were among the main issues discussed at the three-day program.

Transfusion Transmitted Infections will top the agenda while talking

about safe blood transfusion which includes a number of infectious

diseases (such as HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, among

others) can be passed from the donor to recipient. This has led to

strict human blood transfusion standards in developed countries.

Standards include screening for potential risk factors and health

problems among donors and laboratory testing of donated units for

infection.

Among the diseases than can be transmitted via transfusion are:

• HIV-1 and HIV-2

• Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV-1 and HTLV-2)

• Hepatitis A can be transmitted in blood

• Hepatitis C virus

• Hepatitis B virus

• West Nile virus (all units of blood in the U. S. are screened for

this virus.)

• Treponema pallidum (the causative agent of syphilis, usually used

as more of a screening test for high risk lifestyle, the last case of

transfusion transmitted syphilis was in 1965.)

• Malaria - Donors in the United States and Europe are screened for

travel to malarial risk countries, and in Australia donors are tested

for malaria.

• Chagas Disease - A screening test has been implemented for this

disease in the United States, but is not yet required.

• Variant Creutzfeldt - Jakob disease or " Mad Cow Disease " has been

shown to be transmissible in blood products. No test exists for this,

but various measures have been taken to reduce risks.

• Some medications may be transmitted in donated blood, and this is

especially a concern with pregnant women and medications such as

Avodart and Propecia.

• Cytomegalovirus or CMV is a major problem for patients with

compromised immune systems and for neonates, but is not generally a

concern for most recipients.

Blood which tests positive for any of the diseases it is tested for is

discarded.

Earlier this National Orientation cum Training Program on Blood Safety

was inaugurated by Director Health Services, U.T. Chandigarh.

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