By Surihe Gaomas
WINDHOEK
With a National Blood Policy in place, relevant legislation and a Standards of Blood Transfusion practice, Namibia is said to have among the best levels of blood safety.
Early this month, medical experts who attended a three-day training workshop on the “Appropriate Clinical Use of Blood and Blood Products in Namibia,” said the blood collected in the country meets the safety requirements of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other international authorities.
” All the institutions that play a role in providing blood and blood products to patients in Namibia ensure the highest level of safety,” commented a medical laboratory expert.
In order to ensure that the best quality blood is collected, institutions such as the Namibia Blood Transfusion Service (NAMBTS) conducts careful and thorough screening of each and every potential blood donor right from the onset.
Each blood donor undergoes a medical examination before donating, including measurement of his or her blood pressure, pulse, haemoglobin levels and body weight.
In addition, donors are required to fill in a detailed health questionnaire prior to each donation. These questions are aimed at identifying those prospective donors who may be at risk of transfusion of transmissible infections (TTI) such as HIV and hepatitis.
Senior Medical Superintendent of the Windhoek Central Hospital Dr Helen Nkandi-Shiimi who officially opened the workshop said the latest training workshop on blood safety comes well in line with the recently launched guidelines on World Blood Donor Day held on June 14, 2006.
“This will ensure the cost-effective use of blood and blood products as well as the availability and use of transfusion alternatives for the benefit of the patient with minimal exposure to risk from unnecessary blood transfusions,” said Nkandi-Shiimi.
Another aspect outlined by medical experts is that in order to avoid risks of contaminated blood, this life-saving resource is only collected in low-risk communities.
Such blood is further tested not only for HIV but also hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis, using the most sensitive tests. Only those units that show to be negative are used for blood transfusions.
Although blood is used in a variety of conditions, the most critical part of blood is to save lives, especially when a casualty is involved in a car accident, or complications when it comes to childbirth, infections such as malaria, medical complications and surgery.
“Transfusion should be prescribed only when the benefits to the patient are likely to outweigh the risks. The clinician should clearly record the reason for transfusion in the patient’s hospital notes and on the blood requisition form,” explained Nkandi-Shiimi.
In view of this, the Ministry of Health and Social Services, WHO and NAMBTS work together to provide training on the ‘Guidelines on the Appropriate Clinical Use of Blood and Blood Products in Namibia’ to ensure that the highest standards of blood transfusions are maintained throughout the country.