Following the publicized report of a national blood shortage, Rand Memorial Hospital Administrator Sharon Williams contends that there is no shortage of blood or blood donors in Grand Bahama, but rather inadequate storage for the blood.
Minister of Health, Senator Dr. Bernard Nottage, recently made an appeal to Bahamians to become voluntary, non-remunerated blood donors, saying that the country faces a shortfall of 11,000 units of the estimated 16,000 units of blood needed to meet the health care needs of the country annually.
Williams explained that as it relates to blood shortage on Grand Bahama, it is simply the small availability of blood for emergency purposes.
“At the moment our capabilities in the Lab Department run mostly to elective surgery as opposed to emergency surgery and that is because at the moment the facilities presently aren’t big enough to do major recruitment and store blood for mass emergencies,” she said.
Noting that the Bahamas Government is in the process of developing a national blood bank programme, Williams says the intent is to be able to secure sufficient blood between the lab departments in Nassau and Grand Bahama for both emergency and elective situations.
“We don’t have a shortage per se right now. If one was to come into the hospital in need of blood, what we would do is a recruitment exercise among family members to make sure that sufficient blood is there to serve you,” she explained.
Dr. Nottage said it is quite evident that the practice of family replacement donations which is currently in use in The Bahamas is not adequate to meet the blood supply needs of the nation.
However, Williams said all that is needed is for the facilities to appropriately store the volume of blood that is required to service the community should the need arise.
“When that time comes there will be an active recruitment programme to replenish our supplies,” she said. “As it stands, there is no use calling persons in actively because there is what we call a shelf life for blood and we don’t want to do that just to have it wasted.”
When asked if donors will be compensated for their blood, Williams responded that the recruitment exercise is not for studies but to save lives.
“So, no we will not be paying persons for blood because that blood is there to potentially save their lives or the lives of their loved ones,” she said.
The Bahamas only collects 5,000 units of safe blood each year, thereby creating the shortfall of 11,000 units of safe blood.
The shortages in the available units of safe blood can have dire consequences on the health care system.
The requirements for persons willing to become voluntary, non-remunerated blood donors are that they must be 17 years of age or older, in good health, weigh a minimum of 110 pounds, have not had a recent illness or surgery, at least six weeks since pregnancy and at least eight weeks since the last donation.
Williams confirmed that the new Rand Hospital building will be equipped with a facility that will be able to adequately facilitate the Grand Bahama community.
“We will provide the services and the facilities that are required and, yes, we will make sure that our labs have the capacity to store the blood necessary,” she said. “We’ve already drawn up initial plans and we will be going through those plans again with officials from the Public Hospitals Authority, when we come nearer to development of that property.”
By ANGELO ARMBRISTER, Freeport News Reporter
