Rumbek hospital suspends blood donations
September 16, 2013 (RUMBEK) – Authorities in Rumbek, the capital of South Sudan’s Lakes state, have temporarily stopped blood transfusions in the local hospital due to lack of reagent screened blood.
Lakes state minister of health, Daniel Gumwel, confirmed that Rumbel hospital does not the equipment to easily facilitate the work of doctors working the hospital’s laboratory.
“We are planning to raise some money and send them to Juba to buy reagents, they are not available in Lakes state”, said Gumwel.
The ministry is aware of the shortage, he said, adding that Lakes state has contacted the South Sudan’s national ministry of health in Juba to ask to more supplies.
Gumwel said that decision of suspending the blood transfusions is because of a lack of reagent to screen the blood.
“The ministry of health in Lakes state has temporarily suspended blood transfusions because of a lack of reagents to screen the blood”, minister Gumwel said.
The deputy in charge of the laboratory in Rumbek Hospital, Majak Wol said the reagents are compulsory to check blood for hepatitis and other common diseases.
Wol added that “the only thing we can do is concern form, if the donation and patient signed the form, the accept to give blood the way it is, then we can do that but without them signing it, we will not allow”, said Majak.
Majak stated that “all donations and transfusions have been suspended until the testing chemicals are made available.”
(ST)