Message from Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia Region on the occasion of World Blood Donor Day 2019 together with Myanmar-specific remarks to be delivered by Dr Stephan Paul Jost, WHO Representative to Myanmar
Sunday 16 June 2019 | Yangon, Nursing University
Mingalaba, Good morning,
Your Excellency Dr Myint Htwe, Union Minister, Ministry of Health and Sports,
Dr Daw Mya Lay Sein, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Health and Sports,
Prof Thet Khaing Win and Dr Thar Tun Kyaw, Permanent Secretaries, Ministry of Health and Sports,
Vice Chair of the Yangon Region’s Parliament,
Directors-General in the Ministry of Health and Sports, and in other Ministries,
Deputy Directors-General, Directors and responsible officials from various ministries,
Myanmar Red Cross Society,
Respected Voluntary Blood Donors,
Colleagues from National Blood Centre,
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
It is indeed a pleasure and privilege for me to address you on World Blood Donor Day 2019. I will be sharing the message by Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia, for the occasion, together with some Myanmar-specific remarks.
= I quote from the Regional Director’s message =
Access for all to safe blood and blood products is a vital part of the quest to achieve universal health coverage (UHC). As the theme of this year’s World Blood Donor Day – ‘Safe blood for all’ – emphasizes, all people everywhere should have access to affordable and timely supplies of safe and quality-assured blood and blood products, with health systems needing to step up to meet demand, whether from patients with blood and bone marrow disorders, a child with severe anemia or a woman suffering from bleeding associated with pregnancy and childbirth.
Countries across the WHO South-East Asia Region have made strong progress in implementing the WHO global strategy for safe blood. All Member States have now developed national blood policies and are working to implement them.
As per the WHO Global Database on Blood Safety (GDBS), approximately 15.9 million units of blood are collected Region-wide annually, with around 82% of the blood collected from voluntary, non-remunerated donors.
100% of donated blood is meanwhile screened for transfusion transmitted infections, while almost all Member States have national guidelines for the rational use of blood.
Despite these advances, and the heroic acts of altruism voluntary, non-remunerated donors perform on a regular basis, accelerated progress is needed.
At present, 47% of blood is divided into its separate components. There is significant scope to increase its efficient use. The Region’s blood deficit is upwards of 2 million units.
More blood is needed. Though 82% of blood is collected from voluntary, non-remunerated donors, there is ground to be made: 100% is desirable.
And at the sub-national level, blood and blood products can still be difficult to access, while stronger haemovigilance is needed Region-wide.
As part of the Region’s Flagship Priority of achieving UHC, and its commitment to ensuring all people everywhere can access quality-assured blood and blood products, four key areas of work must be scaled up as a matter of priority.
First, Member States should fully implement the national blood plans each has developed.
Too often, blood transfusion services remain fragmented due to a lack of coordination at the national level, leading to compromised quality and systemic inefficiencies.
This in turn limits people’s ability to access the blood they need, when they need it.
Key to ensuring all plans are fully implemented is strengthening high-level buy-in and ensuring blood systems are adequately and reliably financed.
Doing so is crucial to effective coordination, as well as making adequate laboratory technologies available.
Second, Member States should enhance donor care as a matter of priority.
By providing donors the dignity and services they deserve, the likelihood of increased donations needed to fill present shortfalls will be greater, especially when accompanied by effective advocacy.
As part of this, training should be provided on how to effectively counsel and support prospective donors who consider themselves fit and healthy, though who are unable to donate blood – whether temporarily or permanently – due to unexpected health conditions.
Third, Member States should ensure all blood is used in a clinically appropriate manner.
This is particularly important given that blood cannot be synthesized, meaning that all blood and blood products should be processed and provided in accordance with national guidelines, with a specific focus on dividing it into its separate components.
In addition, the adequate provision of services that promote prevention, early diagnosis and effective treatment of blood-related health issues will reduce the need for blood transfusions, as will the use of good surgical and anaesthetic techniques.
Member States should consider the use of intravenous replacement fluids such as crystalloids and colloids as a replacement treatment where appropriate.
Fourth and finally, Member States should strengthen haemovigilance – the oversight and surveillance of the whole chain of blood transfusion, from donation and processing to its provision to patients, including follow up.
This requires effective systems to monitor, report, investigate and analyze adverse effects related to the transfusion process, as well as to prevent their occurrence or re-occurrence.
Notably, it also requires multi-stakeholder engagement to ensure that all links in the chain are secure and fortify the safety of blood and blood products.
WHO will continue to support Member States implement national blood plans, both as ends in themselves, as well as part of the broader mission to achieve UHC.
As with the provision of other health services, a person’s right to the highest attainable standard of health, including via access to safe blood and blood products, must be respected, protected and fulfilled.
On World Blood Donor Day, we must honour and celebrate all people who donate blood on a regular, voluntary and non-remunerated basis, and recognize the need to accelerate progress in implementing the systems required to ensure its safety.
To achieve safe blood for all – an outcome that demands both quality and quantity – we must all do our part.
Thank you.
Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh
Regional Director
WHO South-East Asia Region
= unquote =
Ladies and gentlemen,
Allow me to highlight progress and challenges related to Blood transfusion services in this country.
Blood transfusion services from voluntary donation started in Myanmar since 1960s. Blood and blood product law had been launched since 2003 and in 2017, WHO supported for the development of National Blood Policy based on existing guidelines of Myanmar within the framework of the National Health Plan 2017-21.
Consequently, National Committee has been set up for the first time in Aug 2017 and steering-committee in February 2018 to be able to provide guidance for blood transfusion services.
National Blood Center is the coordinating body for providing technical support to blood banks at state and region level across the country for safe blood supply.
National Blood Centre is also providing required blood and blood products to many tertiary hospitals in Yangon Region. For the capacity development of the new generations, post graduate diploma course for Transfusion Medicine – started in 2016 and produced experts on blood transfusion services.
Ideally there should be at least 1 blood bank in each state and region to assure the access to safe blood supply across the country including hard to reach area.
At the same time, all blood banks should practice blood collection from voluntary unpaid blood donation which is critical for safe blood supply as voluntary, unpaid donors are the safest group of donors, and the occurrence of transfusion transmitted infections is lowest among them.
Blood donation was increased 1.5 times in 2018 compare to 2013 in Myanmar and among them voluntary unpaid blood donors were 72%. At National Blood Centre, voluntary donation was increased from 60% among collected blood in 2004 to 99.5% in 2018.
It is remarkable that Information Technologies and social media, such as on line booking system, reminder call on Birthday, were also applied innovatively for community mobilization.
WHO Country office also developed special factsheet in early 2019 to raise the awareness on voluntary unpaid blood donation among the community.
Access to safe blood supply is part of the universal health coverage (UHC) in achieving one of the triple billions targets: of one billion more people benefitting from universal health coverage (UHC).
As guided in the message of Regional Director, we will continue to support for improving access to safe blood and blood product including haemovigilance and rational use of blood.
Last but not the least, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the honourable blood donors for their noble donation which was invaluable and able to save many of precious lives.
Thank you very much for your kind attention.
Kyay Zu Tin Bar Tal Khin Byar.