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.