Collaboration and Technical Assistance to Blood Donors Associations

In Cameroon, the Safe Blood for Africa Foundation™ (SBFA) provides technical assistance to the National Blood Programme working with the Ministry of Public Health but also to Blood Donor Associations.  The SBFA and FECADOBES (Fédération Camerounaise pour le Don Bénévole de Sang)agreed to collaborate on activities intending to improve the quality of the blood supply in Cameroon, in line with existing local regulations and accepted best practices.  Consequently a meeting was held in the SBFA (Cameroon) office, Yaoundé, on the 17th and 18th December 2014 in order to develop a DRAFT STRATEGY DOCUMENT FOR COLLABORATION BETWEEN BLOOD DONOR ASSOCIATIONS AND HOSPITAL BLOOD BANKS.  During and after that meeting, SBFA provided technical assistance.

Several activities have been proposed by participants to organize efficient collaboration between hospital blood banks and the Blood Donor Associations including:

1. Development of a common policy on blood supply;

2. Identification of low-risk blood donor groups;

3. Development of a common donor recruitment and blood collection plan;

4. Creation of a joint committee in charge of planning, monitoring and evaluation of mobile drives;

5. Establishment of a joint committee overseeing the promotion of blood donation;

7. Development of a partnership agreement or Memorandum of Understanding; and

8. Expansion of a registry of rare blood donor groups.

The draft document developed will be submitted to the Ministry of Public Health as a proposal for their revision and approval before its implementation.