Keith Woolford Posted March 31, 2018 Share Posted March 31, 2018 (edited) 23 mar 2018 - 16:07h The National Oncological Institute recently opened their own Blood Donor Centre on Via España and have collected over 1,000 pints in the last four months. https://www.prensa.com/sociedad/Centro-ION-recibe-donaciones-sangre_0_4991500819.html The Vice-President and Chancellor of the Republic, during a tour of the Centre, stated that "It makes sense that Panama has a National Blood Center to ensure a quick and safe supply of blood to the entire population" Edited March 31, 2018 by Keith Woolford Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted March 31, 2018 Share Posted March 31, 2018 It occurred to me that expats may be in a unique position relative to blood donations for a couple of reasons. First, of course, many of us are over 65 and/or frequently travel outside the country and therefore are ineligible to donate to other expats. This contrasts with Panamanians, most of whom are parts of a close, extended family network with a ready supply of relatives willing to donate blood. In a sense, Panamanians have their own "blood banks." This might help to explain why community blood banks are not a pressing issue for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Woolford Posted March 31, 2018 Author Share Posted March 31, 2018 (edited) Blood will be Centralized domingo 25 de marzo de 2018 - 12:00 a.m. Lucy Garcéslucy.garces@elsiglo.com.pa The discussion of proposed Ley No.539 which will create a national Hemocentro (Blood Bank network) Currently, it established a subcommittee in the Assembly to analyze both projects For the purpose of centralizing the donations and the management of the blood under the figure of hemocentros, both the Ministry of Health (MINSA) as some members, presented two projects (separately) on the subject. The proposals are under analysis in a subcommittee on Labor, Health and Social Development of the National Assembly (AN). Project N° 539 The initiative of the members of Crispiano Adames, Fernando Carrillo, Meliton Arrocha, Samir Gozaine, Juan Carlos Arango, Miguel Fanovich and Raul Pineda seeks to centralize the collection of blood in the country in the same institution, under a National Blood Center. This draws on the funds assigned by the State, in addition to the amounts of contribution or subsidy received from public and private entities, as well as donations and legacies from private persons. This will be composed of the Minister of Health, the director of the Social Insurance Fund and representatives of the Club Activo 20-30 Foundation, Felipe Motta, Rotary Club of Panama, Panama City Lions Club and the Chamber of Commerce that will be in office for three years. 'This will centralize the operation of the 28 blood banks in the country, in one, because are not interconnected, this will be the responsible for collecting and promote donations', said Marcela Vallarino, director of the Fundación Felipe Motta. Initiative No. 581 In the case of the project of the Minister of Health, Miguel May, seeks to create an Administrative Unit of Transrusional Medicine and Blood Services, these will be integrated by laboratory technicians and specialists, and will seek to promote mechanisms of monitoring and supervision, evaluation, quality assurance, audit and establish and implement a national system of HAEMOVIGILANCE. This unit will create the Network of Blood Services that 'will be made up of all the blood services that ensure the disponihilidad and access of this fluid to the patient'. According to the National College of laboratory workers, do not see with good eye the creation of the foundation of Hemocentros, as they believe that there are inconsistencies in the project. Ariel Vasquez, Secretary of Labor Affairs of the College, indicated that the project of the MINSA speaks to recommend the creation of Hemocentros, while the other says that created 'and the State is competent to create them, if approved as well, in violation of article 110 of the Constitution'. Vasquez also warned that the initiative of the board of trustees has powers that are not of them. 'We called attention to the composition of the board of trustees. It is unheard of that a private interest foundation is part of the board of directors, we are concerned that this will be the precedent for a private foundation in public,' he said. Itka National Technical Batista, the coordinator of the Blood Banks of the Social Security Fund, pointed out that both projects are positive because this law dating back 32 years and there is a need for better update. Proposals freetranslation - no edit http://elsiglo.com.pa/panama/sangre-sera-centralizada/24055101 Edited March 31, 2018 by Keith Woolford Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Woolford Posted March 31, 2018 Author Share Posted March 31, 2018 Hospital Nacional, a private hospital in Panama City, also has their own Blood Bank. http://www.hospitalnacional.com/banco-de-sangre.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Doug Posted March 31, 2018 Share Posted March 31, 2018 (edited) The discussion of proposed Ley No.539 which will create a national Hemocentro (Blood Bank network). Well, let's get the proposed law passed! Edited March 31, 2018 by Uncle Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Woolford Posted March 31, 2018 Author Share Posted March 31, 2018 16 minutes ago, Bonnie said: It occurred to me that expats may be in a unique position relative to blood donations for a couple of reasons. First, of course, many of us are over 65 and/or frequently travel outside the country and therefore are ineligible to donate to other expats. This contrasts with Panamanians, most of whom are parts of a close, extended family network with a ready supply of relatives willing to donate blood. In a sense, Panamanians have their own "blood banks." This might help to explain why community blood banks are not a pressing issue for them. Exactly. Monetary Banks don't stay in business long when the majority of clients make withdrawals, not deposits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palo Alto Jo Posted March 31, 2018 Share Posted March 31, 2018 3 hours ago, Keith Woolford said: Exactly. Monetary Banks don't stay in business long when the majority of clients make withdrawals, not deposits. Just as no one wants to live to be 100 years old except the fellow who is 99..... No one cares a fig about a blood bank until it's them or their loved-one in dire need. I do hope we can all start speaking loudly, every time we see a physician, that we are concerned. Most of us cannot donate to each other due to age or travelling, so please let us help get one going that does work for all. Even if we cannot donate, I'm sure the volunteers to assist in blood drives at churches and civic meetings (bring cookies and juice and pat hands, etc) would pour out. I wonder what the veterinarians do here. I remember that there was a dog blood bank in Houston featured on the evening news, and that there is a "universal dog donor" type. These valuable dogs (often rescue or strays) are kept at vet labs or by vets themselves I've heard about one dog that may have helped saved hundreds of dogs in her life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Woolford Posted March 31, 2018 Author Share Posted March 31, 2018 (edited) It looks like there is, at least, forward movement and some consciousness raising in this area. The above articles from last week are encouraging. It seems to me the community might want to look at the possibility of starting a local Blood Bank to service the citizens of the District of Boquete. I agree with Jo that lthough many expats wouldn't be eligible to donate, but they can still share knowledge and organizing capabilities, as well as juice and cookies. Not sure if the law of 1986 regulating Blood Banks has been updated much since then, except to allow for payment to donors. https://docs.panama.justia.com/federales/leyes/17-de-1986-aug-8-1986.pdf Edited March 31, 2018 by Keith Woolford Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palo Alto Jo Posted April 1, 2018 Share Posted April 1, 2018 19 hours ago, Keith Woolford said: It looks like there is, at least, forward movement and some consciousness raising in this area. The above articles from last week are encouraging. It seems to me the community might want to look at the possibility of starting a local Blood Bank to service the citizens of the District of Boquete. I agree with Jo that lthough many expats wouldn't be eligible to donate, but they can still share knowledge and organizing capabilities, as well as juice and cookies. Not sure if the law of 1986 regulating Blood Banks has been updated much since then, except to allow for payment to donors. https://docs.panama.justia.com/federales/leyes/17-de-1986-aug-8-1986.pdf Wish I could read that. May get a friend to help me. The reason they no longer allow people to be paid in the U.S. is because studies showed the people who "donated" for the money often were the highest risk of passing on hepatitis and HIV, many were homeless street people in poor health themselves. I'd love to see the pre-blood draw questions asked of donors here. Are there required lifestyle questions as well as medical and travel questions? Or does that vary from place to place? If it's up to doctors, maybe we could get a local doctor to be willing to store and distribute as needed the few (maybe 4-6 units total, A,O, and B kept on hand) that we need here in Boquete. Dra. Boya has an ambulance , she might be a logical choice. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Woolford Posted April 21, 2018 Author Share Posted April 21, 2018 Major report in LaPrensa today pushing for a national Hemocentro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palo Alto Jo Posted April 21, 2018 Share Posted April 21, 2018 2 hours ago, Keith Woolford said: Major report in LaPrensa today pushing for a national Hemocentro. I can't quite read the labels on the units of blood, because they should say the City, Country underneath the upper barcode with the unit number. But, I am very encouraged to see that the units pictured are a least PACKED red blood cells, and not whole blood, meaning they are separating it into components, the plasma that is taken off is stored in the freezer for up to 2 years, and contains clotting agents. It loses it's ability to clot after just a few days otherwise. The vials of blood rubber-banded to the units is for testing of HIV, Hepatitis, and other viruses. If these units were actually collected in Panama, I'm encouraged. However, they may be stock photos from another country (Not the U. S. or Canada, as they do not have the blood vials attached like that, but this is an acceptable method, as the vials have the same barcode on them as the unit of blood. Here, the lab equipment takes larger volumes of blood, so would be necessary. In the U. S. the latest equipment takes tiny microdroplets of blood to run the HIV, Hepatitis tests, (but again, the pictured method is perfectly acceptable.) I hope they don't set it up only in Panama City, but also get it out to regional centers as well. But, this is certainly good to hear that they are even thinking about getting going, it's way overdue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted April 25, 2018 Moderators Share Posted April 25, 2018 Quote The creation of a National Blood Center in Panama is advocated Mon, 04/23/2018 - 15:56 The Panamanian Minister of Health, Miguel Mayo, advocated that a blood center be installed in the country to centralize and control the inventories of blood banks that Panama has, so that there is a better organization. Through an opinion article published last Sunday in the local press, Mayo recalled that there are 28 independent blood banks in Panama that receive and process donations, despite patients in emergency situations requesting through public messages a certain type of blood being common. “That is to say, we have many centers doing the same thing, with no coordination whatsoever,” Mayo said, so the blood center would be the one responsible for the distribution of the blood components to all hospitals in the country. “With a blood center, processing is centralized but the peripheral donation centers increase,” Mayo said in his article published in “La Prensa” and entitled “Blood center: necessary or not?” According to data from the Ministry of Health, of the 28 blood banks in Panama, 11 are in the Social Security Fund (CSS), 10 in Ministry hospitals and 7 in private care centers. Mayo said that it is necessary for the country to “approve the blood center and modernization of transfusion medicine bill to achieve this progress in equity and quality in health.” Sectors of the Panamanian society carry out an educational campaign that seeks to promote the approval by the Legislative Body of an institute of this nature, which would help to solve not only the lack of blood that exists in some hospitals, but also improve its distribution. The National Assembly (AN) prepares to discuss bills 581 and 539in the second debate, by which the aforementioned blood center is created and a patronage is established for its administration, respectively. Both initiatives have received in recent months contributions from health professionals, NGOs, as well as from health authorities and from deputies themselves. Official data highlights that the blood donor registry in Panama does not exceed 1.5 percent, when the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) states that it should be between 3 and 5 percent of the population, between the ages of 18 and 65. http://www.panamatoday.com/panama/creation-national-blood-center-panama-advocated-6706 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Woolford Posted October 9, 2018 Author Share Posted October 9, 2018 Moving slowly towards the centralization of Blood Banks and creating consciousness of the importance of being a blood donor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted October 10, 2018 Moderators Share Posted October 10, 2018 Quote Pro voluntary blood donation campaign is promoted in Panama Wed, 10/10/2018 - 14:35 The Panamanian National Hemocenter Board, which was approved by law last April to control inventories of all the country's blood banks, will promote a campaign to motivate voluntary plasma donation, an official source said today. "The Hemocenter should promote voluntary donation. About 4% of all donations are commercial donations, that is, people who charge for donating blood; which should be eliminated and be at 0%," said the Panamanian Minister of Health, Miguel Mayo. In the installation on Monday of the board of directors, Mayo said that the Hemocenter -whose creation was approved by the National Assembly (AN, Parliament) last April- will develop a campaign for voluntary donation. The minister of Health highlighted in that sense that the campaign and the awareness of the population and the attitude of the people towards donations "is what will solve the problem as long as people understand that donating blood does not hurt, does not delay, does not transmit diseases and it's good for other people". "It is a debt that existed with the country since the first blood bank was created in 1944 at the Santo Tomás Hospital (HST)." In 2001 there was an attempt to create a hemocenter and today it is a reality with the Law passed by the President of the Republic on May 31," said Mayo. He also stressed that there are many benefits to be obtained, as it will greatly help the transfusion medicine of the country and will give equity because they can centralize all tests, standardize transfusions nationwide to know where blood is needed. The Secretary of the Board of the National Hemocenter, Marcela Vallarino, said that "an effort will be carried out in its implementation through an action plan", as well as in the operation manuals, regulation of the Law, location and hiring of the staff. As for the strategies for voluntary donation, Vallarino said that "we must make it accessible, have buses, high-traffic donation centers where anyone can arrive and donate easily. "We are going to have a very arduous campaign, but we're going there; we want 100% of donations in Panama to be voluntary," Vallarino added. According to statistical data, in Panama some 57,000 blood donations were made in 2016. In Panama there are 28 blood banks at present, and the idea, according to Vallarino, is that all its operation is centralized in a single place, for which the hemocenter will promote voluntary blood donation, according to official information. https://www.panamatoday.com/panama/pro-voluntary-blood-donation-campaign-promoted-panama-8062 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Woolford Posted November 21, 2018 Author Share Posted November 21, 2018 INITIATIVE A day of blood donation will take place today organized by fourth year students studying Medical Technology at the Autonomous University of Chiriquí (Unachi) in David, as an aid to the patients who are confined in the Maternal and Infant Hospital José Domingo de Obaldía, in the province of Chiriquí. The opening hours will be from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon, in the auditorium of the Faculty of Business and Accounting, of this house of higher studies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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