Local NBTS improving under agreement with Argentina

Over the past two years, Guyana has been benefiting from improved National Blood Transfusion Services (NBTS) as a result of the strengthened diplomatic ties between Georgetown and Buenos Aires for the past 45 years.

This possibility was reiterated during recent talks between Junior Public Health Minister, Dr Karen Cummings, and Argentine Ambassador to Guyana, Luis Martino.

The two countries inked a technical cooperation pact in mid-2015 under which Guyana will benefit from the expertise available under the agreement to boost the country’s NBTS.

Blood supply in the public health sector has been maintained purely by voluntary donations by the nation’s multiethnic population. Four years ago, public health authorities recorded 89 per cent in voluntary donors which climbed to 94 per cent the following year. Between January and June of 2015 when the compact between Georgetown and Buenos Aires was sealed, the figure had reached 100 per cent.

The deepening South-South cooperation is seen as pivotal to maintaining voluntary donation while making better other aspects of the NBTS Cummings and Martino said during talks at the former’s Brickdam, Georgetown office.

The current agreement has four stages, with the latest talks zeroing in on the final phase and looking ahead to future agreements.

Last year, three Guyanese attached to the NBTS had skills-enhancing training in Argentina and the new expertise garnered then is to practically applied here under what the two sides refer to as Phase Four which include “building and strengthening human capacity and skills to exchange knowledge and technology in relation to blood services” according to the terms of the agreement.

So far, the local NBTS has had a diagnostic visit by Argentine experts; physicians operating in both the Public and Private Sectors have benefited from continuous medical education offered by Buenos Aires at their Hemotherapy Centre of the Garrahan Hospital while practical aspects of the CME training will be fleshed out when a team of specialists from Argentina visits Guyana later this year.

“During the visit the team will conduct an audit of the NBTS, which will include an examination of blood donors’ recruitment and retention. It is imperative that this activity be conducted as soon as possible.

This will ensure that the NBTS maintains its high quality and standards, as well as its compliance with internationally recognised best practices,” the joint agreement specifies.

Continuing it said: “The Government of Guyana looks forward to broadening and strengthening its relationship with the Government of Argentina and for both countries to continue collaboration in the field of public health. With the help of the Argentine experts from the Garrahan Hemotherapy Centre, the NBTS of Guyana will continue to deliver the highest quality of standards of blood transfusion services to the people of Guyana.”

Guyana and Argentina established diplomatic relations in June 1972 and since then, Ambassador Martino said the independent nations “have achieved a lot” and have now set their collective eyes on improving the capacity-building capabilities between the South American Republics.

Dr Cummings is pushing for Argentine assistance to help build a blood collecting facility in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice). According to national figures, some 80 per cent of blood donated to the NBTS come from Regions Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) and Four (Demerara-Mahaica) and there are great prospects in the region famous for its bauxite production.

During the recent discussions between Cummings and Martino, the idea of a tripartite compact involving the two countries and PAHO/WHO to collaborate to improve national blood collection here despite Guyana’s current human resource challenges, equipment shortfall and the lack of critical knowledge in the blood collection sector.

It was also envisaged that the tripartite compact envisaged can target telemedicine as an initiative targeting the reduction of maternal mortality and the incidence of non-communicable diseases here, Cummings and Martino agreed.