-
Hostel-A, NISTE Building, Off Sufi Tabassum Road, Sector H-8/1,
Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: 051-9250307-8, Fax: 051-9250309, Email: [email protected],
Website: www.sbtp.gov.pk,
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sbtp.pk Twitter:
www.twitter.com/sbtp_pk
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Parliament Praises IBTA Performance
A meeting of the
Parliamentary Committee
on Government
Assurances was held in
November 2016 in which
the performance of the
Islamabad Blood
Transfusion Authority was
also discussed. Earlier, a
private member in the
National Assembly had
asked a question about the Health Ministry’s efforts to regulate
the blood banks in Islamabad. Prof.
Hasan Abbas Zaheer, Chairman IBTA represented the Health
Minister in the Committee meeting
and briefed the Committee on the achievements, progress and
plans of the regulatory work carried
out by the IBTA. The Committee was very impressed by the IBTA
performance. The minutes of the
minutes noted; “The Committee showed complete satisfaction over
the work of Islamabad Blood
Transfusion Authority, IBTA, regarding compliance of the
assurance regarding elimination of
unmonitored blood banks in Islamabad. The Committee was of
unanimous opinion that the
assurance had been complied in letter and spirit.”
The Government Assurances Committee is a non-ministerial
committee of the members of National
Assembly and Senate of Pakistan and comprises 15 members from
different political parties
including PML (N), PTI, PPPP and JUI-F. Blood regulation is a
very important component of the
blood safety systems reforms being implemented by the SBTP.
Therefore acknowledgment of the
political leadership of the success of the blood reforms process
is an important milestone for the
Programme as well as all the stakeholders.
Fifth Meeting of the IBTA Advisory Board
The fifth meeting of the Advisory Board of Islamabad Blood
Transfusion Authority was held on
December 15, 2016, in the Ministry of National Health Services,
Regulation & Coordination, under
the Chairmanship of Prof. H.A Zaheer. Other participants
included Maj. Gen. (Retd) Muhammad
Ayub, Prof. Farooq Khattak, Dr. Imtiaz Hasan, Prof. Khurshid
Ahmed, Dr. Asma Cheema, Maj. Dr.
Saif Khan Nizai, Prof. Javaid Usman, Dr. Amir Maqbool, Mr. Adeel
Akbar and Mr. Usman Waheed.
The Board was briefed about the participation of the IBTA
leadership in the various Parliamentary
meetings regarding blood safety and thalassaemia prevention. The
Parliamentary Committee on
Government Assurances, National Assembly Secretariat expressed
complete satisfaction over the
performance of IBTA and appreciated its efforts to regulate the
blood sector in Islamabad in a very
professional manner. In another Senate Standing Committee
meeting, it was recommended to
organizing awareness sessions on blood safety, thalassaemia and
other hereditary disorders for the
Parliamentarians. They also emphasized to coordinate and
strengthen the Provincial Blood
Transfusion Authorities and organize regular capacity building
workshops. The IBTA Board also
deliberated on the administrative issues and took important
decisions including the sanctioning of
IBTA posts, release of
funds for operating
expenses, opening the
Assignment Account,
and formulation of a
technical sub-
committee to revise the
IBTA rules. The IBTA
Board appreciated the
performance of the
Authority under the
dynamic leadership of
its Chairman.
EDITORIAL
Blood safety, regulation and
thalassaemia prevention issues are regularly raised in the
parliament. To explain the government position the
SBTP National Coordinator is thus frequently asked to appear
before the various forums of the National
Assembly and Senate. In December, during a meeting of the
Parliamentary Committee on
Government Assurances the performance of the Islamabad Blood
Transfusion Authority was
appreciated. Acknowledgement of the success of the blood safety
reforms by the political leadership is
indeed a very significant milestone for the Programme.
This newsletter also covers the 5th
Board meeting of IBTA in which apart from the technical issues
many important administrative
issues were accorded approval. Follow-up of these decisions with
the Health Ministry will strengthen
the regulation work of IBTA in Islamabad as well as its
collaboration with the provincial
partners.
Since 2015, the WHO EMRO has been regularly organizing blood
safety consultations and trainings to strengthen blood systems
in the region. In this month two regional
consultations on Hemovigilance and Donor Management were held in
Jordan. Pakistan was well
represented in these consultations and actively contributed in
the success of the meetings.
The international partners including ISBT keenly follow the
progress of the SBTP and support the
committed efforts of the Programme. ISBT Academy regularly
supports organization of technical training
workshops in Pakistan. One such workshop was organized in
Islamabad this month in which the
technical staff of the various blood banks received practical
training. Such activities are very well attended and appreciated by
the
stakeholders.
To develop plans for the Phase II implementation, two experts
visited
Punjab and Balochistan to conduct site visits, meet partner NGOs
and hold meetings with the health
department leadership. Such visits serve very useful purpose and
help resolve administrative and technical
issues and result in smooth project implementation.
Prof. Hasan Abbas Zaheer
National Coordinator
-
Hostel-A, NISTE Building, Off Sufi Tabassum Road, Sector H-8/1,
Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: 051-9250307-8, Fax: 051-9250309, Email: [email protected],
Website: www.sbtp.gov.pk,
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sbtp.pk Twitter:
www.twitter.com/sbtp_pk
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WHO Regional Consultation on Haemovigilance, Amman, Jordan
WHO EMRO convened a Regional Consultation on Haemovigilance in
Amman, Jordan on December 4-5, 2016. The objectives of the
consultation were to highlight the importance of national
haemovigilance systems for the continual improvement of the quality
and
safety of blood products and the transfusion process; review the
status, successes and challenges of establishing and/or
strengthening national haemovigilance systems; introduce the WHO
guide to establishing a national haemovigilance system and
develop recommendations and priorities for action for
establishing and/or strengthening national haemovigilance
systems.
Participants from 19 regional countries attended the
consultation including representatives of international and
regional organizations;
Arab Haemovigilance Network, International Haemovigilance
Network, International Society of Blood Transfusion, American
Association of Blood Banks as well as staff from WHO
headquarters and Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean.
Prof. H.A Zaheer, National Coordinator, SBTP represented
Pakistan and also made the country presentation. The presentation
was
well received and addressed the journey of blood safety system
reforms in the country with special emphasis on Haemovigilance
practices in Pakistan. The meeting ended with the agreement on
the recommendations and priorities for action at different levels
of
the implementation of haemovigilance system following
deliberations in the working groups.
WHO EMRO Regional Training on Blood Donor Management, Amman,
Jordan
The Public Health Laboratories unit in the Division of
Communicable
Diseases Control, WHO EMRO convened a Regional Training on
Blood
Donor Management in Amman, Jordan on December 7-8, 2016. The
training was jointly organized by WHO EMRO, WHO HQ, Sanquin,
National
Blood Bank (WHO Collaborating Centre for Transfusion Medicine)
and the
Government of Jordan. The 2-day Regional Training involved
participants
from 22 countries in the Region.
Pakistan was represented in the meeting by Prof. H.A Zaheer,
National
Coordinator, SBTP and Dr. Noaman Siddique, Senior Lecturer,
Ayub
Medical College, KPK. The objective of the training was to
improve blood
donor management practices in the region. The training provided
current
information on the essential components of blood donor
management
including: Infrastructure required for blood donor
management, Donor base, Donor recruitment, Donor
retention, Blood collection, Donor counseling, referral and
care, Human resources management, IT and Ethical
considerations.
The meeting outcome was enhancement of the participant’s
knowledge of the principles and practices in blood donor
management. Based on the training course, the participants
will develop national action plans to improve blood donor
management. Similar trainings in 2017 in three sub-regions
of
EMRO will be conducted for the training of Master Trainers.
-
Hostel-A, NISTE Building, Off Sufi Tabassum Road, Sector H-8/1,
Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: 051-9250307-8, Fax: 051-9250309, Email: [email protected],
Website: www.sbtp.gov.pk,
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sbtp.pk Twitter:
www.twitter.com/sbtp_pk
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ISBT Training Workshop on Immunohaematology in Islamabad
The Safe Blood Transfusion Programme (SBTP) in collaboration
with the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT)
Academy and Pakistan Society of Blood Transfusion (PSBT)
organized a 2-day training workshop on ‘Immunohaematology’
at
the Maroof International Hospital, Islamabad.
The workshop was attended by the representatives of licensed
public and private blood banks of Islamabad and included
medical technologists, blood transfusion officers and
postgraduate residents. Since the last few years technical
workshops have been regularly conducted in Pakistan with the
support of the ISBT Academy.
Mr. Usman Waheed, Technical Expert, SBTP presented the
workshop objectives and the licensing status of the ICT
blood
banks. The technical sessions included lectures on Introduction
to Immunology (Dr. Muhammad Umair), Antigen-Antibody Reactions
(Dr. Arshad Malik), ABO Blood Group System Genetics and
Biochemistry (Dr. Ahmed Farooq), Rh Blood Group System Genetics
(Mr. Akhlaaq Wazeer), Minor Blood Group Systems (Ms. Faiza
Jabin), Antiglobulin Test (Mr. Asim Ansari), X-match via Gel Card
(Mr.
Rehan Hafeez), and Screening and Identification of
Allo-Antibodies (Mr. Usman Waheed). Practical hands-on training was
provided
to all participants based on the lectures delivered. A
demonstration session was also held on discrepancies of blood
groups and
troubleshooting procedures were explained practically. All
participants were provided opportunity to perform procedures. Pre
and
Post workshop assessment of the participants was also performed
which indicated significant increase in knowledge base of the
workshop participants.
National Laboratory Strategic Framework for Pakistan
The National Laboratory Working Group (NLWG) of the Ministry of
National Health Services with the technical assistance from the
World Health Organization convened a 5-day consultative workshop
on December 19-23, 2016, to endorse the ‘National Laboratory
Strategic Framework’ and to finalize the ‘Operational Plan for
the Laboratory Biosafety and Biosecurity’. The participants
included
members of the NLWG, representatives of professional societies
and national experts. The meeting was facilitated by a WHO
Consultant from the Headquarters. The Safe Blood Transfusion
Programme represented by Prof. H.A Zaheer, National Coordinator
and Mr. Usman Waheed, Technical Expert, was invited as a
co-opted member of the Working Group and made presentations on
the
process followed during the formulation of the National Blood
Policy and Strategic Framework (2014-20). The participants
highly
appreciated the successful implementation of the blood safety
system reforms in a very systematic manner by involving all key
stakeholders which has resulted in a wider ownership. The
regulatory experience of blood sector in the Islamabad Capital
Territory
under the ICT Blood Safety Ordinance was also briefed and
appreciated by the members.
-
Hostel-A, NISTE Building, Off Sufi Tabassum Road, Sector H-8/1,
Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: 051-9250307-8, Fax: 051-9250309, Email: [email protected],
Website: www.sbtp.gov.pk,
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sbtp.pk Twitter:
www.twitter.com/sbtp_pk
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Up-gradation of large Blood Centers in Punjab and Balochistan __
Phase II
In Phase II of the SBT Project, in addition to developing new
Regional Blood
Centers, 10 existing large Blood Banks would be upgraded to
serve as Regional
Blood Centers. In addition, support would also be extended to
credible NGOs
working in the BT sector. To carry out an assessment of the
proposed centers, a
2-member team of experts, Prof. Javaid Usman and Mr. Usman
Waheed, visited
Lahore and Quetta and inspected some proposed centers and met
the provincial
leadership and hospital administration.
The IBTS Punjab facilitated the Lahore visit of the Consultants.
This visit covered
assessment of blood banks in large tertiary care hospitals of
Jinnah Hospital,
Mayo Hospital and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. The NGOs visited
included Fatimid
Foundation, Sundas Foundation and PRCS Blood Centre. The
Consultants held
detailed briefing and debriefing sessions with the IBTS
leadership. The team also
met the Additional Secretary Health to update him on the mission
findings and the
Punjab plans for the Phase II. The Additional Secretary
appreciated the efforts of
the Consultants for developing a sound operational plan for the
implementation of
the Phase II of the project in Punjab.
During the visit to Quetta, the Consultants visited the SBTP
Regional Blood
Centre, Quetta, Pashtoonkhwa Blood Bank, Baloch Blood Bank,
Bolan Medical
Complex and Civil Hospital. Technical meetings were held with
Provincial
Programme Manager (Prof. Nadeem Samad Sheikh) and Secretary BTA
(Dr.
Sher Zaman Jogezai).
The Consultants also had two meetings with the Secretary
Health
Balochistan (Mr. Noor ul Haq Baloch) and also met Secretary
Finance
Balochistan (Mr Akbar Durrani). A joint visit to the Quetta RBC
was also
done. The team briefed the Secretaries about the overall
project
progress, project issues in Balochistan and plans for the Phase
II
implementation in the province. They also briefed the
Secretaries on the
findings of the visit and their recommendations. Both
Secretaries lauded
the efforts made by the SBT project from the federal level to
expedite the
implementation of blood safe system reforms in Balochistan.
Secretary
Health assured his full support to resolve the outstanding
issues which
were delaying the full operationalization of the Quetta RBC
and
committed to facilitate the up-gradation of the blood banks in
Turbat and
Loralai. The Secretary Finance also accompanied during the visit
to the
RBC and was most impressed by the standard of construction
and
equipment placed. He advised the Health Department to send all
budget
related files for timely allocation and release of funds so that
the
procurement of cold chain vehicles, consumables and hiring of
staff may
be done on priority.
Urdu Translation of National SOP Manual by Jphiego
The SBTP developed a National SOP Manual for blood banks with
the help of
national experts in 2013. The document provides step by step
technique of
all the procedures performed in the blood banks.
As part of the SBTP-Jhpiego collaboration, this document has now
been
translated in Urdu by Jphiego. The document is being used for
trainings to
the blood bank personnel in Interior Sindh and also in rest of
the country.
It is available on the SBTP and IBTA websites.
-
Hostel-A, NISTE Building, Off Sufi Tabassum Road, Sector H-8/1,
Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: 051-9250307-8, Fax: 051-9250309, Email: [email protected],
Website: www.sbtp.gov.pk,
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sbtp.pk Twitter:
www.twitter.com/sbtp_pk
V O L U M E
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UPDATES FROM SBTP REGIONAL BLOOD CENTRES
VNRBD Activities organized by RBC Gilgit, Quetta and
Bahawalpur
Blood Donation Camp by Regional Blood Centre Bahawalpur
Seminar and Blood Donation Camp by Regional Blood Centre
Gilgit
Blood Donation Camp by Regional Blood Centre Quetta
The SBTP has recently revised the National Guidelines on Quality
Control in Transfusion
Medicine in an effort to ensure the maximum safety of all
procedures for donors, recipients
and staff in transfusion services. The guidelines are based on
the documents of the European
Union, WHO and Technical Manual of American Association of Blood
Banks. The earlier
version of the document was developed in 2007 by the Ministry of
Health.