(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat yesterday responded to the recurrent call of the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS), Guyana, for voluntary donation of blood of all types.

On Thursday November 12, 2009 the CARICOM Secretariat’s Staff Association organised a blood donation drive at the headquarters of the CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana.

Vice-President of the Staff Association, Mr. Nigel Duncan said that the aim of the drive was to provide an opportunity for the Secretariat’s Staff to “give back” to the society.

Over the past two years, he said, the Association had been responding in this manner to the ever urgent need for blood at the NBTS, and it was heartened by the willingness of Members of Staff to participate in the exercise this year.

National Blood Transfusion Coordinator and Administrator of the NBTS, Ms Shameeza Mangal said that the donation by CARICOM Secretariat’s Staff was a “perfect Christmas gift.” The NBTS sets a daily collection target of 43 units of blood. Ms Mangal stated that based on the donation by the CARICOM Secretariat’s Staff Members, over 80% of today’s target would have been met.

“We wish that everyday was a blood donation drive,” she said, adding that the NBTS was highly appreciative of this “good Samaritan” effort by the CARICOM Secretariat. The Ministry of Health, Guyana, has set an 8000-unit target to meet the demand for blood by public and private hospitals in Guyana - 80 percent to be procured through voluntary donation. To date, Ms Mangal said, 1500 units of blood were needed to meet that target.

More importantly the Administrator said, at this time of the year, there was an earnest demand for blood of all types because the volume of elective surgeries in both private and public hospitals had increased.

In addition, she said there was also need for a steady stock of blood to buffer the supply for emergency surgery.