The National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) will be focusing on strengthening corporate relationships with the aim of boosting blood donation as the local public health system needs 12,000 units of blood annually to meet its needs.
This is according to Director of the National Public Health Reference Lab with responsibility for the NBTS Dr Colin Roach, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.
Roach added that this year the NBTS will be forging additional relations with persons in rural areas. In particular, he said Linden, Region 10 and Essequibo, in Region 2 will be targeted. He said most of the donations are obtained via walk-ins, call backs and blood drives and while these set the base for blood collection, there is need for more advocacy, which is expected to result in additional persons donating blood.
There are over 80 religious, academic and private and public sector organisations who participate in regular blood donations, GINA noted. Last year the NBTS was mandated to recruit more voluntary unpaid blood donors. It has been reported that 79 per cent of the blood donations is by voluntary donors, which is significant as no other Caricom country has been able to achieve this, except for Suriname. The NBTS hopes to source 90 per cent of its blood from voluntary donors, and that goal can only be accomplished if 1.5% to 2% of the adult population becomes donors and donates at least two units of blood per year.
The NBTS said it is critical for Guyana to acquire new blood donors as it needs 10,000 regular blood donors to ensure the availability of 12,000 units of blood every year as increasing availability of health services being offered would require blood. GINA noted that over the last five years, the number of donors has increased by 100 per cent and while persons in the 25-45 years age group are the main donors, it has been observed that those in the 17-25 years age group are steadily increasing.
Also, persons 65-years-old and older who were not previously allowed to give blood can now do so. First time donors in this age range must first get approval from their personal physician.
