Trinidad and Tobago to Move to a Voluntary Blood Donation System
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, March 28 - Port of Spain, March 25, 2022: On Monday 21st March, 2022 the Ministry of Health (MoH) hosted a mini symposium with key stakeholders to discuss the move towards a Voluntary Non-Remunerated Blood Donation (VNRBD) System for Trinidad and Tobago. The VNRBD System, which will succeed the Replacement (Chit) System approach currently utilized nationally, will address the challenges faced in the collection of blood and blood products for the health system.
The symposium, which took place at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mount Hope, included senior representatives from the:
- Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation
- Regional Health Authorities
- Society for Inherited and Severe Blood Disorders (Trinidad and Tobago) Ltd
- University of the West Indies
- SEWA International Trinidad and Tobago
- Haematology and Medical students
In her presentation, Dr. Erica Wheeler, PAHO/WHO Country Representative for Trinidad and Tobago, stated that ‘blood donation by unpaid voluntary blood donors is critical to the safety and sustainability of national blood supplies, as replacement donation by family and friends of patients requiring transfusion can rarely meet clinical demands for blood.’
The concept of voluntary blood donation is not new to Trinidad and Tobago. Dr. Kenneth Charles, Consultant and Senior Lecturer at the University of the West Indies, highlighted the case of the University of the West Indies Blood Donor Foundation (UWIBDF) during his presentation on the Strategic Plan for the National Blood Transfusion Service. Over the period of 2015 to 2019, the quantity of voluntary non-remunerated donations received during UWIBFD blood donation drives rose from 13 to a high of 118. The insights from the UWIBFD experience will be incorporated into the strategy for the national VNRBD System.
The Honourable Terrence Deyalsingh, Minister of Health, concurred that the current system of donated blood has created inequity in the system. He highlighted the need for a structured programme to promote altruistic blood donation, which would increase the number of blood units collected annually and ensure that a safe and secure supply of blood is available to every member of the public, despite socio-economic differences.
The introduction of this new system is another step in the Ministry of Health’s strategic objective to reform and improve public healthcare delivery in Trinidad and Tobago.
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