Blood chit system back says Fuad

Newly-appointed Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan says he has confidence that the blood chit system works and has since reinstated it within the nation’s health care centres as a mechanism through which blood can be donated to patients. “I believe in the chit system. In fact, I indicated to the Permanent Secretary that we go back to the chit system. “The families of people who are having surgery will be able to use the chit system to get blood and any spill over will be used on the other patients,” he said.

Khan was speaking with reporters yesterday where he delivered his first official address at his ministry’s sports and family day held at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva.  The former health minister, Therese Baptiste-Cornelis had previously discontinued the blood chit system in January (to much criticism) on the grounds that it was being illegally sold and not in accordance with standards set by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This action resulted in a chronic blood shortage throughout the country which had an adverse effect on surgeries at all of the public hospitals, particularly the San Fernando General Hospital which went from a donorship of 35 to 15 pints of blood a day.

As a result of this, the then minister (Baptiste-Cornelis) agreed to a limited re-introduction of the chit system in April since it had become evident that the majority of the public were reluctant in its response to the ministry’s voluntary blood donor drive. It had been reported that prospective donors were afraid that their friends and families may not be able to retrieve their (the donor) blood in cases of an emergency or where there was need for them to have elective surgeries. The new Minister said however, both the chit and voluntary systems “will work” hand in hand as they did before. Khan said: “There will still be voluntary blood donors available but the chit system is going to be reverted back and both systems, that is, the voluntary blood donor as well as the chit system, will work together.” (BZ)