The National Blood Transfusion Service's (NBTS) replacement donation system is to be discontinued this year, according to the institution's director, Dr. Lundie Richards.

Dr. Richards said last week that the system, which allowed persons to donate blood for a family member or friend, was unsafe, and had outlived its usefulness.

System has failed

"We are saying that the replacement donation system has failed and it is unsafe and it is now time for us to move forward and join the rest of the world," he said.

"We can join other countries in the region - Cuba, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, Barbados, Suriname - which all have a very good voluntary system of blood donation."

Dr. Richards said these countries were able to attain a good voluntary system through proper marketing initiatives, among other communication tools.

"This is definitely possible for Jamaica and is the way to go," he added.

The replacement donation system was instituted 10 years ago to address a chronic shortage of blood in the island. Persons donating blood under the system would receive a receipt, which they would then take to the particular health facility to indicate that they have donated this unit of blood.

"This receipt would be sort of a passport to receiving a unit of blood. Of course, this does not guarantee that there is a unit of blood available because the donor may have been ill and the blood may not have been safe, although the person received a receipt upon donation," the NBTS director pointed out.

According to Dr. Richards, the discontinuation of the system would guarantee that volunteer donors "who are the safe donors and who will also be truthful about their activities" would come forward.

"They are the ones who will be donating blood and keeping the blood supply safe," he said.

This, he added, would lessen the possibility of tainted blood reaching the population.

"We would have safe blood for those who need it and you will not have the stress of having to beg or coerce someone to come in and donate a unit of blood because, quite often, those coerced persons are the ones who are at the highest risk of causing problems to themselves and to blood facilities," he noted.

The phasing out of the process, he said, would also guard against the possibility of receipts being illegally handed over.

"We are looking at launching a receipt-less and totally voluntary process of donating blood," Dr, Richards said.