Lives of patients requiring blood transfusion at the NRH is at stake as a malfunction in the Blood Bank fridge has resulted in the contamination of a massive supply of stored blood supply
HUGE amounts of blood units for transfusion at the National Referral Hospital (NRH) have been damaged, putting the lives of patients who need blood transfusion at stake.
About 150 blood bags units were damaged due to the malfunction of the Blood Bank fridge in the Blood Bank Centre at NRH.
This has raised a public outcry to the responsible authorities to deal with this debacle.
It is not a welcoming news to sick patients who desperately need blood transfusion.
The blood bank at the National Referral Hospital needs between 15- 20 units of blood daily to cater for blood transfusion-needy patients.
This means the wastage of 150 units of blood stock has reduced the blood supply to below the safe level.
Not only that, it will discourage blood-donating volunteers to come forward and donate blood when there is an appeal for blood donation.
Solomon Star emailed the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS), Pauline McNeil, about the debacle but she did not respond.
The paper then contacted the Director of the Blood Bank, Alfred Dofai, who said NRH will issue an official response soon.
The Solomon Islands Red Cross, which is the only organisation that has a blood donor voluntary programme, when asked about the matter said it would need to verify it with the NRH Blood Bank.
Blood and its components are useful for patients with a range of medical condition from anaemia, cancer, blood disorders and patients who undergo surgery.
The various components of blood such as the red blood cells, platelets and plasma are all useful in many different conditions and therefore with different patients. As such, a bag of blood donated can help and save the lives of more than one patient at the hospital.
By Eddie Lachlan Hoe & Charles Kadamana
Newsroom, Honiara
