17 June
UNION Minister for Health and Sports Dr Myint Htwe attended the World Blood Donor Day 2019, observed at University of Nursing (Yangon) in the commercial city yesterday.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Dr Myint Htwe said, “His ministry provided blood donation centres around the country with K 2.94 billion worth of related aids in fiscal year 2018-19.”
“The National Blood Center is supplying enough safe blood for 14 hospitals in Yangon Region, apart acting as a source of safe blood for other hospitals of the country,” he said and added that according to the list, the country provided over 438,000 units of blood in 2018, and of them, 72 percent was donated by volunteers and 32 percent was used in Yangon Region.
“This year the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed the slogan “Safe blood for all” to raise awareness of the universal need for safe blood in the delivery of health care and the crucial roles that voluntary donations play in achieving the goal of universal health,” he said.
Deputy Speaker of Yangon Region Hluttaw U Lin Naing Myint then gave a speech.
WHO Resident Representative Dr Stephan Paul Jost read out the message of the Regional Director for WHO Southeast Asia, and Dr Thida Aung, the Deputy Director-General of Department of Medical Services (National Blood Center) explained the functions of the NBC.
Union Minister Dr Myint Htwe presented certificates of honour to 11 volunteers between ages 18 and 27 for donation of blood for 27 times in a row. Of the 33 27-time consecutive blood donors, those 11 volunteers attended the ceremony.
Before the ceremony, the Union Minister visited National Blood Center in Yangon where he fulfilled the requirements in systematically accepting, checking, storing and documenting the donated blood and distributing it to hospitals, under computerized process.
During the inspection, Dr Thida Aung and Mr Hiro Konishi, a volunteer IT expert of Japan, reported on the work process of the centre, computer data storage system, and future work programs.
The Union Minister also visited the Department of Public Health Laboratory Science, and facilitated the functions of the World Blood Donor Day 2019 observed in Yangon central health laboratory which started this month. He then observed the sites where laboratories, trainings, high security laboratory BLS3 and rooms for equipment will be built.
Deputy Director-General Prof Dr Htay Htay Tin of the Department of Public Health Laboratory Science reported on plans to build a new high security laboratory BLS3, with the loan from French Development Agency (AFD) of France, the efforts to develop the Department of Public Health Laboratory Science to be acknowledged by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) under the GMS Health Security Project being implemented with a loan from Asia Development Bank (ADB), functions of the central health laboratory, blood and genetics laboratory, parasitology division, virology division and mycology division, the use of oncological instruments, service personnel affairs and general matters.
In response, the Union Minister said as lab results are important for ensuing effective treatment, the requirements of the Department of Public Health Laboratory Science would be goven the first priority.—MNA (Translated by TMT)
