A national policy to harmonise activities around blood collection, testing and usage in hospital blood banks and laboratory facilities across the country has been launched in Accra yesterday.
The document seeks to standardise testing strategies for blood and blood components nationwide, while defining the fundamental requirements to screen all donated blood before transfusion.
It is expected to improve patient safety by reducing the risk of transfusion transmissible infections (TTIs) with its associated complications.
Dr Martha Gyansa-Lutterodt, Director, Technical Coordination at the Ministry of Health, launching the “National Strategy for Screening of Donated Blood and Immunohaematological Testing” on behalf of the sector Ministersaid, blood transfusion was a life-saving intervention within the healthcare system which ought not to be compromised.
According to her, the global disease burden attributable to unsafe blood transfusion could be eliminated through an integrated strategy for blood safety which was what Ghana’s plan seeks to achieve.
“The development of this national strategy on screening of donated blood and immunohaematological testing is to ensure that screening of donated blood for TTIs, blood group determination and compatibility testing is a core component of national blood safety programme,” she stated.
DrGyansa-Lutterodt,held that an effective screening strategy could reduce TTIs to very low levels adding that the strategy had come to ensure that there was value for money on blood donation or usage in the country.
She urged all blood transfusion facilities to establish efficient systems that “ensure that all donated blood is screened in a quality-assured manner for the mandatory TTIs and only non-reactive blood and blood components are released for clinical use.”
“The successful implementation of this national strategy by facilities will improve patient safety through reducing the risk of TTI’s and complications from adverse transfusion reactions,” she added.
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Blood Service, Ghana, Dr Justina K Ansah, in giving an overview of the document, said, the strategy focused on four key areas, including red cell serological testing, screening assay or microbiological testing for TTIs and quality framework for overall blood safety.
She explained that up to five percent of blood and blood components globally were infective of one agent or the other such as HIV, Hepatitis B or C viruses, bacteria among others, which is why there is a need for standardisation within the field for patient safety.
“In accordance with World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations, the National Blood policy of the Ministry of Health prescribes that all donated blood should be tested for HIV, Hepatitis B and C and syphilis prior to release for clinical use.
Testing for these infectious agents is mandatory for the provision of safe blood supply in Ghana,” she noted.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
