Punjab government would welcome technical assistance and guidance of World Health Organization (WHO) for ensuring safe blood transfusion to the patients, monitoring of public as well as private blood banks and improving working conditions. Provincial Assembly has passed Safe Blood Transfusion Act-2016 and concrete steps are being taken to strengthen and reactivate the Punjab Blood Transfusion Authority (PBTA).
These views were expressed by the Minister for Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Kh. Salman Rafiq while talking to the members of delegation of WHO which is presently visiting Pakistan for the assessment of safe blood transfusion facilities. After visiting the other provinces, the delegation reached Lahore and called on the Minister in the Institute of Blood Transfusion Services (IBTS), here today. The delegation headed by Prof. Smit Sibinga Ceesth, the other members included Dr. Abdella. E. Yetmegta, consultant German Institute KFW, Brig. Javed Usman and WHO Regional Officer Dr. Jamshed. On this occasion, Additional Secretary Health (Tech) Dr. Salman Shahid, Secretary PBTA Dr. Muhammad Athar, Director IBTS Dr. Zafar Iqbal and other experts were present in the meeting. While talking to the delegation, Kh. Salman Rafiq said that Punjab is the first province where an effective and consolidated institution is working to provide quality blood transfusion services in an organizational manner. He said that keeping in view the importance of healthy blood for prevention of blood diseases, PBTA has established and steps are being taken to reactivate the authority for effective surveillance and monitoring of public as well as private blood banks in the province. Kh. Salman Rafiq further informed that legislation has been done through provincial assembly and Safe Blood Transfusion Act-2016 has been passed through which imprisonment and fine has been increased upto seven years of imprisonment and fine upto one million rupees on running a substandard blood bank.
Moreover, Chief Executive Officers of Health has been given powers for monitoring blood banks and taking action against the violators in their respective districts. The Minister said that within few months, the system will be visibly changed. Kh. Salman Rafiq informed the delegation that Regional Blood Centers of Multan and Bahawalpur has been completed and the blood banks of public sector hospitals of the said districts have been attached with the RBCs. He informed that third RBC in Faisalabad is being established and the blood banks of Mayo Hospital and Jinnah Hospital of Lahore are being upgraded upto the level of RBCs for which a PC-I of Rs.492 million has been sent for approval. He said that within next two years RBCs would be established in all divisional headquarters. The Minister reiterated “we will welcome the proposals and guidelines to fill the gaps of our system”. Secretary PBTA Dr. Muhammad Athar informed the delegation that annually 1.65 million blood units are being provided through IBTS to the patients. He said that PBTA has accelerated the work of geo tagging, registration and licensing of blood banks. He said that an advertisement has also been sent for publishing to inform the blood banks owners to get registered their blood banks with the authority within a month. The head of WHO delegation appreciated the steps taken by the Punjab government to regulate the blood transfusion system and said that WHO is ready to help the Punjab Health Department and would facilitate for training of technical staff and removing the gaps in the system. The members of WHO delegation said that as compare to the other provinces, health sector in Punjab has lot of improvement and the steps taken for ensuring safe blood transfusion in Punjab are very significant.