LOST A LOT OF BLOOD

[chevy3k]

I KNOW THERE EXISTS A BLOOD BANK REGISTER THREAD......
This is not a repost nor is it a joke


The ministry of health has written off your blood bank accounts.
as of december 31 2010 blood donors are no longer preferential and we no longer have the comfort of knowing that we have blood "inside" in the event we or our loved ones need it. In fact we no longer have a say as to who we can give our blood to.
The measure of blood recorded on our cards no longer exist "for our use".

This is because the ministry of health has moved to make blood donations fully voluntary in Trinidad and Tobago similar to those of developed nations.
Their aim is to make the process of accessing blood more equitable.Thereby anyone needing blood can get it without the hassle of looking for person/s to give it before one can receive.

Now the present situation is this;
The blood bank is in need of supply as there has been a significant drop in donations.Therefore blood stock is being rationed to emergency life and death cases.

You cannot elect to donate blood for any individual, be it friend or family.
all blood donated will be deposited to the bank to be used as the bank see fit on priority case basis.
Those of you who have attempted to give blood for someone over the past two months may be able to identify with this.

My friends the blood bank needs our support,they need our blood,however there is no incentive for us to donate except to know that someone....someone we may not know, life is being saved by our contiued donation.

this is not good enough for me.....

Is it good enough for you???

As a blood donor, I want to live in the assurance that should I myself....or my loved one needs to receive blood,they can get it. Not to be placed on a list to determine if they can survive before being in dire need.

As a blood donor, what do you expect???

Please offer your opinion on this development......
I intend to forward these opinions and letters from other concerned citizens to the ministry of health and relevant offices in an effort to regain some form of incentive for blood donors.

Please call the ministry or friends of the blood bank to learn more.
any suggestions on a way forward welcomed.
I will later post an email address so that persons can also forward their own concerns directly.

THIS THREAD IS IN NO WAY INTENDED TO DISCOURAGE ANYONE FROM DONATING BLOOD

[Aaron 2NR]

Blood Banks across T&T are in desperate need for blood. Lets perform the humanitarian act of kindness and be our brother's keeper. Money isn't everything; Save up to three lives without spending a cent. Mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters need our help.

Location:-
Blood can be donated at the following locations. Please note that donors are not accepted after 3:00 pm.

National Blood Transfusion Service
160 Charlotte Street
Port of Spain
Trinidad
Tel. (868) 627-2619, 623-8204
Fax. (868) 623-3523
Opening hours: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday except public holidays

The Blood Bank
Building 1
Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex
Uriah Butler Highway
Champs Fleurs
Trinidad
Tel. (868) 645-2640 Ext 2008
Fax. (868) 663-4673
Opening hours: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday except public holidays

The Blood Bank
San Fernando General Hospital
Independence Avenue
San Fernando
Trinidad
Tel. (868) 652-1121
Opening hours: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday except public holidays

The Blood Bank
Tobago Regional Hospital
Fort Street
Scarborough
Tobago
Tel. (868) 639-2551
Opening hours: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday except public holidays

There is also one at Sangre Grande Hospital.

The National Blood Transfusion Service also has a mobile unit that selects business places (that have at least 20 willing possible donors) to visit for the purpose of collecting blood from voluntary donors. Please contact the National Blood Transfusion Service at the address above to schedule a visit from the mobile unit.

All you need is a form of identification. Have something to eat before.
Bleeding time is from 8am till 3pm.

Spread the word to make this movement successful.INVITE YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY. Let's flood the blood banks to make this deficit a surplus to ensure the longevity of humanity!

Any questions please feel free to ask or visit
http://www.gov.tt/gortt/portal/ttconnec ... ting+Blood

[~Vēġó~]

this is worriesome!!!!!!

I do not agree with this.........as stated, no incentive to give blood.......

[Firewall]

i don't agree with this. at all.....

its MY blood, to give to who I please, and in my book family and loved ones in need always come before a stranger.

also i believe you can only donate once every 6-8 months

so basically you telling me that i now have no access to the 4 pints i stocked over the last 3 years?

[DrunkenMaster16]

i don't agree with this. at all.....

its MY blood, to give to who I please, and in my book family and loved ones in need always come before a stranger.

also i believe you can only donate once every 6-8 months

so basically you telling me that i now have no access to the 4 pints i stocked over the last 3 years?

every 3 months for a healthy male, every 6 months for a healthy female...

I gave in january and will gladly give again in april to friends / family.

[Trini Hookah]

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=131255760279375

[geodude]

i really need to get serious about this.

[UML]

i went tuh give blood ah time and dey tell meh my blood eh even good for pudding

[Gem_in_i]

many people gave blood in view tht it would be theirs when needed...this new rule would lessen further donations from many.

[sMASH]

this approach is the more common sense, first world, developed-society way to move, but it would only work where people are willing to give in the first place.
here, because we don't have so many good samaritan donors, this just goin to dissuade the few donors we already have.

so u wanna encourage people to give up their blood by telling them that it would not be there for the people they care about.

wrong approach pp,, these people are the greatest

[sMASH]

prob they should computerize the data base and make donor by appointment. i cant give up a whole day to go there, take a number, sit for hours, then get screened, then wait, then get drained.

if i can come in at a pre-arranged/appointed time slot, i can eliminate the initial time wasted on just waiting on the people before to get screened.

to reduce time wastage they could use id card numbers to appoint a time, and u could have a public service record stored in a national a database.

[DrunkenMaster16]

My last donation took less and an hour in gulf view medical... Just know the procedure eat 1 hr b4 get screened, go outside smoke a cigarette, drink some coffee, read a news paper and they should be done screening your blood.

[sMASH]

^^ last time i donated, it took half a day because there were many in line waiting to be screened.

[hottgirl]

i don't think some people would be encourage to donate blood now

[Damien]

people should have the option to pay for blood when they need it as well as get money when they give

[SmokeyGTi]

all that has to happen is for some enterprising person to set up a separate facility for storing blood and have it operate like a true blood bank.

Users would pay a storage fee/premium.

[teems1]

wda, so that blood transfusion service card i have with 1 pint in, no longer valid?

that gone to someone already? and when i need that pint for someone, they'll hadda ketch their ass?

[eurogirl]

they should make it the law for healthy citizens from the age of 18 to donate blood at least once per year .

[rodfarva]

they should make it the law for healthy citizens from the age of 18 to donate blood at least once per year .

steups. why?

Is my blood.

[~Vēġó~]

mobile blood bank comes to me via a religious/social organisation.....and they usually collect about 25 pints for the day.....think this figure would now be seriously affected negatively....

[original ravi b]

they should make it the law for healthy citizens from the age of 18 to donate blood at least once per year .

Just plain stupid

[teems1]

^^

prolly impractical to have it as a law

should have the ability to claim for it in taxes or something. as it is right now without the bank system, there is no incentive for me to donate again.

[S_2NR]

they should make it the law for healthy citizens from the age of 18 to donate blood at least once per year .

now thats just retarded

[altec]

damn! bandit gets shot and uses any donor blood now? Robbery even in the blood bank.

[Kronik]

i was considering starting to donate blood.......not anymore now! when i need blood i not sure to get it after i give my blood, nah!

[chevy3k]

Home » News
Health Minister: No blood shortage
Published: Sat, 2011-03-12 18:23 trinidad guardian page A11
Yvonne Webb


All surgeries in the obstetrics and gynaecology departments at the San Fernando General Hospital were cancelled yesterday due to a blood shortage. However, Health Minister Therese Baptiste-Cornelis said, “There is no blood shortage at the public health institutions.” Baptiste-Cornelis, who with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar opened a new eye theatre and refurbished ENT/Eye Ward at the hospital noted: “There is just not as much as people would like.” She called on the public, who were not engaged in risky behaviour, to do their part by becoming donors, noting that the issue was being addressed and a blood donor campaign would begin this month to educate the public. The doctor who informed the T&T Guardian about the cancellation of surgeries said yesterday staff could not take the risk to do surgeries without blood.

Acting medical director Dr Anand Chatoorgoon acknowledged, “we are having problems with the availability of blood and therefore surgeries that require blood may well have to be postponed.” He said: “I personally spoke to the Chief Medical Officer Dr Anton Cumberbatch, this morning, (yesterday) and he is well aware of the situation. He said they are dealing with it and hope to have it resolved in a week.”
Chatoorgoon said the CMO has also mandated them to put in place a regional blood transfusion committee and look into mounting a voluntary blood donation drive. Chatoorgoon explained that in the past, they engaged in blackmailing patients to have their relatives give blood in order to do their operation.

However, he said that system, although it worked, opened itself up for abuse, hence the reason they had to abolish it. We do not want to engage in blackmail at this time, but we would like to encourage people to continue giving blood, because, in the absence of the availability of blood, many surgeries may not be able to be done. Sources at the Blood Bank revealed that since the January 1, 2011 abolition of a chit system which gave donors ownership of blood donated for friends and relatives, the volume had decreased to single digits. They said they had been going through their list of donors, reminding them to give blood. Yesterday morning, there were two donors at the Blood Bank on the hospital compound.
“In the past people gave blood for friends and relatives. Now that it can go to anybody requiring blood, there are no volunteers.”

Baptiste-Cornelis, in fielding questions from the media about the reported shortage, after the opening, said the chit system encouraged fraud among nationals who had to pay for blood, an unwelcome practice by the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards. She explained, people who lived by donating blood and selling it, “want to buck the system. They want it back.” She said not that people cannot claim ownership of the blood which goes to a pool, “The amount we used to have when people were paying is not there, but that does not mean there is a shortage either. She referred to the giving of eight pints of blood to Chrystal Boodoo-Ramsoomair, who died on March 4 after giving birth to a baby girl via a Caesarian section at the hospital, to make the point, if there was a shortage they would not have been able to do so.

[chevy3k]

heres the email address we can forward our concerns to,

suggestions@health.gov.tt

[Bizzare]

The thought of donating blood doz creep me out jed....

[redmanjp]

*sticks self with needle, extracts blood, stacks away in a safe place, just in case

[chevy3k]

I read in the newspaper a minister says that donors would receive a card similar to a credit card, with info contained on the strip.
So I guess we now get to show off a plastic card..... Wow now every body would want one?!?