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January 2, 2005

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Blood Transfusion system

Safe Blood Transfusion Law 2002

Shadeka Jahan

'Safe blood starts with me' and 'To give safe blood is a privilege. To receive safe blood is a right'- by enchanting thm slogans WHO emphasises the importance of safe blood transfusion as a basic human rights as it deals with the basic right to life. These slogans reflect that safe blood transfusion is an important public health issue.

Blood transfusion is the most efficient mode of transfusion of infectious agents such as HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Syphilis, Malaria etc. So safe blood transfusion is an important public health issue and a safe and effective blood transfusion service is the essential component to the provision of adequate health service in every country.

Thm transfusion of safe blood should be beneficial for the recipient which might not cause any harm to them and the safety of blood is depend on the recruitment of safe donors, screening the blood of the donors and appropriate clinical use of blood.

Now come to the point of blood transfusion system in Bangladesh. In our country there arm four types of blood donors:
1) Professional blood lonors,
2) Family or replacement donors,
3) Voluntary blood donors and
4) Convicted blood donors.

Among those donors the voluntary blood donors are the safest and Professional blood donors are the high risk blood donors. And collection of blood from convicted blood donozs is now discouraged. But it is shown that almost 70% blood was collected from professional blood donors and thus the infectious diseases are increased among the innocent people.

In Bangladesh there are 97 blood centres under Government authority excluding commercial blood banks. There are almost over100 private blood banks only in Dhaka city anl most of them do not have permission of the Government. These blood banks going around the hospitals and clinics and give unsafe blood to the people. In our co}ntry 'Safe Blood Transfusion Program` is adopted which is funded by UNDP. And in 2002 'Safe Blood Transfusion Law` is also adop|ed. This Law contains the provi{ion of licensing authority (who will give those banks license) and even the provision of punishment for unauthorised use of blood is also enacted. So proper implementation by effective monitoring of that law will definitely improve the blood transfusion system in Bangladesh. The whole world is now relying on safe blood and so we need to be more carenul about this. Hence a mass awareness over the issues is very essential.

The author is an advocate and Assistant Researcher, BLAST.





     
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