Can a decentralized blood supply system reach 100% voluntary nonremunerated donation?

Abstract

Voluntary nonremunerated donation stands for the framework of a solid, safe, and sustainable blood supply; for this reason, the World Health Organization has set a goal toward achieving 100% voluntary nonremunerated blood donation in 2020. However, in Lebanon like in most developing countries, the majority of blood donations still come from family/replacement donors (around 75%) followed by voluntary donors for only 15%; compensated donors yet account for 10% of blood donations. Lebanon has a decentralized and fragmented blood supply system where private health care facilities predominate over the public system; thus, numerous challenges and roadblocks-that are discussed in this article-are likely to delay the fulfillment of the WHO resolution. By properly addressing (and resolving) those caveats, it should be expected that Lebanon can forecast achieving (or at least getting close to) 100% voluntary nonremunerated blood donation within the next decade.

Blood Donation in Lebanon: A Six-Year Retrospective Study of a Decentralized Fragmented Blood Management System

“…According to the WHO, all operations connected to blood collection, testing, processing, storage, and distribution should be coordinated at the national level via efficient organization and integrated blood supply networks [4]. Nonetheless, Lebanon features a decentralized/fragmented blood transfusion system, with the majority of blood donations taking place in hospitals, and a minor proportion taking place at nongovernmental organizations [2,[10][11][12][13]. Likewise, in the Middle East, each country has its own blood transfusion system and blood donation practices differ from one country to another [14].…”

How to manage transfusion systems in developing countries: The Experience of Eastern and Southern Mediterranean countries

“…Thanks to a number of initiatives (WHO, ISBT, AABB, EMITm…); it was acknowledged that sharing the progresses and cost effectiveness assessments between neighboured countries is interesting in terms of reducing global costs . For example, Lebanon has implemented Universal leukoreduction for BCs as of 2013; the ongoing evaluation of its impact on patient outcome might be useful for others to implement in case the Lebanese experience turns out to be successful.…”

“…implemented Universal leukoreduction for BCs as of 2013 12 ; the ongoing evaluation of its impact on patient outcome might be useful for others to implement in case the Lebanese experience turns out to be successful.…”

“…This aims at improving national blood services (when national organisations are in place) and the overall quality of BCs as well as strengthening transfusion safety in patients, with respect to immunological and infectious situations. Some countries even collaborate with Western institutions for this purpose (eg, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco) . The progress made as well as the continuing gaps are evidenced in several reports, mainly the one from the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean …”

“…Some countries even collaborate with Western institutions for this purpose (eg, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco). 12 The progress made as well as the continuing gaps are evidenced in several reports, mainly the one from the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean. 7,13,14 Having considered that all these standards are resource consuming at a time resource (and cooperation support from Northern/Western countries) are becoming scarce, 15 we endeavoured to collect information from Eastern/Southern countries of the Mediterranean area on how they handle and manage all aspects of the transfusion process from donor to recipient.…”