Blood Transfusion Centre appeals for more donors

The National Blood Transfusion Centre, run by the Lao Red Cross, is struggling to provide enough blood to hospitals because more and more is needed in the treatment of road accident victims.

Dr Chanthala Souksakhone (First, left)  addresses a meeting on the needs of the National Blood Transfusion Service.

This was the main theme of a meeting held last week to review the work of the Blood Transfusion Service last year and discuss activities going forward to support its development.
The meeting was chaired by the Director of the Centre, Dr Chanthala Souksakhone, who said the rapid increase in the number of road accident victims is a big problem when it comes to evaluating the amount of blood needed by the Centre and supplying that blood to hospitals.
He also said that people with thalassemia are another main group requiring regular supplies of blood from the Centre.
Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder caused when the body doesn’t make enough of a protein called hemoglobin, an important part of red blood cells. Thalassemia is a treatable disorder that can be well-managed with blood transfusions and chelation therapy, specialists say.
Dr Chanthala said that last year the National Blood Transfusion Centre dispatched 80 bags of blood every day on average and throughout the year collected 73,023 bags of blood donated by some 57,000 donors mostly comprising secondary school students, army personnel, the police, and government officials.
Their praiseworthy donations were hugely appreciated, with most of the blood being used during surgery involving road accident victims, he added.  
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), about 107 million units of blood are collected globally every year. Nearly 50 percent of these blood donations are collected in high-income countries, home to 15 percent of the world’s population.
In Laos, almost 35,000 units were collected in 2013, which constitutes only 58 percent of the 60,000 units recommended by the WHO for a country the size of Laos.
About 40 countries are still dependent on family donors and even paid donors when a family member needs a blood transfusion.
The WHO hopes to mobilise youth, communities and society as a whole by raising awareness on this issue and asking everyone to come together and make a difference.
Working with the Ministry of Health in Laos, the WHO advocates for regular voluntary unpaid blood donations and thanks people who are already donating regularly for their life-saving gift.

By Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth
 (Latest Update April 8, 2024)