Health Bulletin 2009

Safe Blood Transfusion
Though the need for safe blood is unanimous, millions of patients requiring transfusion do
not get opportunity of transfusing safe blood and there is an obvious disproportion between
developing and developed countries in access to safe blood. Of the estimated 80 million
units of
blood donated annually worldwide, less than 45% is collected in developing countries. Acute
haemorrhage due to accident and injuries and during post partum period, maternal and child
anemia resulting from various cause are some of the leading cause of death in the
developing countries. Timely access to safe blood transfusion is a life-saving measure in
many of these clinical conditions and can also prevent serious illness in these patients.
Besides, unsafe transfusion poses serious threat of transmitting infectious diseases that
include HIV/AIDS, hepatitis-B, hepatitis-C, syphilis and malaria.
In our country the annual demand for blood transfusion is estimated to be 3, 00, 000 to
3,50,000 unit per year. But due to lack of voluntary donor and consciousness among people
this demand is hardly met. South East Asia account for 25% of the world's population but
collects only 9% of the world's blood supply as a result 7 million units of blood in a year, but
there is need of a total 15 million units of blood.
Implementation of Safe Blood transfusion started in 2000 with the realization of judicial use
and safety of blood and blood products in Bangladesh in order to ensure collection of blood
not from commercial blood sellers and compulsory screening of blood for 5 blood-borne
diseases viz. HIV/AIDS, hepatitis-B, hepatitis-C, syphilis and malaria before transfusion of
blood. SBTP has 116 safe blood transfusion centers.
A national strategic plan for HIV/AIDS/STD prevention formulated incorporating blood
transfusion sector. Since 2000, screening of Transfusion Transmitted Infection (WHO
recommended) has been introduced in Bangladesh along with judicial act and national
policies ruled by the Government of People's Republic of Bangladesh. Safe blood
transfusion law 2002 has been approved by the parliament and published with an emphasis
towards management and services of safe collection, processing, preservation and
transfusion. The goal was to establish and operation of private blood transfusion centers and
Upazilla blood transfusion centers by 2008. Official Gazette notification of the law has been
published for implementation from 1 st august 2004 and safe blood transfusion ruling order
has been published on 7 th may 2005. Emphasis is given to the outdoor and day care
facilities provided by Transfusion Medicine Department. Safe blood Transfusion Programme
was sponsored by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2000-2004 and from
2004-onwards is supporting by WORLD BANK, Development for International Development
(DFID), World Health Organization(WHO) and Health, Nutrition and Population Sector
Programme (HNPSP) .
The National Policy and Strategy on Blood Safety, adopted in 2007, defines minimum
standards and requirements for health facilities to qualify and be authorized to screen blood
for HIV before transfusion. A Reference Laboratory has been set up in Dhaka Medical
College Hospital to conduct HIV confirmatory tests.
"Safe blood transfusion regulations 2008" was published in 17 June 2008. The regulations
say that without taking license from a licensing authority, no person,
organization or institution will be allowed to establish and run a private blood bank.
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