DECISION

APPROVING THE PROGRAM ON BLOOD TRANSFUSION SAFETY

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government of September 30, 1992;
Pursuant to the Law on Protection of People’s Health of June 30, 1989;
Pursuant to the Government’s Resolution No. 90/CP of August 21, 1997 on orientation and policy of socialization of educational, medical and cultural activities;
In order to adequately supply high-quality blood and blood products for the hospitalizing demand;
At the proposal of the Minister of Health,

DECIDES:

Article 1.- To approve the "Program on Blood Transfusion Safety" with the following principal contents:

1. The program’s name: The Program on Blood Transfusion Safety.

2. Implementation duration: from 2001 to 2010, divided into 3 stages as follows:

Stage 1: from 2001 to 2003.

Stage 2: from 2004 to 2006.

Stage 3: from 2007 to 2010.

At the end of each stage, a preliminary review shall be made, and when the program is finished, a final review and assessment of its efficiency shall be conducted.

3. The program-managing agency: The Ministry of Health.

4. The program’s objectives:

a/ General objectives:

To step by step supply high-quality and safe blood and blood products to meet the emergency, hospitalization and disaster prevention demands; to have enough reserve blood for security and defense demand; to use blood and blood preparations rationally, efficiently and economically, thus contributing to reducing the mortality and morbidity rates, enhancing international cooperation and investment.

b/ Specific objectives:

- To strive to meet the demand for blood and blood products in service of hospitalization, to have enough reserve blood for security, defense and disaster prevention,... with the following norms: to collect 180,000 liters of blood/year (meeting 50% of the demand in 2005) and 380,000 liters of blood/year (meeting 90% of the demand in 2010) in the whole country.

- To basically change the structure of blood donor sources. Voluntary blood donors without charge shall reach 50% (in 2005) and over 70% (in 2010). Not to take blood from the group of highly disease-prone people, to encourage repeated blood donation, and raise blood donors health.

- To ensure that, in the whole country, before transfusion, 100% of blood units (1 blood unit = 250 ml) are sorted out against 5 infectious diseases: HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis and malaria. To ensure ABO blood grouping, Rh (Rhesus factor) grouping, and sorting of abnormal antibody before blood transfusion at 100% of the central and provincial hospitals.

- By 2005, to produce blood products and to conduct partial blood transfusion with 50%, and, by 2010, 70%, of the total collected blood volume. By 2005, to internationally standardize blood products at Hanoi, Hue and Ho Chi Minh City centers, and by 2010, at Can Tho, Dac Lac, Thai Nguyen, Son La, Hai Phong, Nghe An, Phu Tho, Khanh Hoa provinces and other centers.

- To raise the quality of blood transfusion safety at hospitals, including indications for the rational, efficient and economical use of blood and blood products.

5. Major solutions to attain the objectives:

a/ To rationally organize and build the national blood transfusion system along the direction of concentration and modernization in 3 aspects: blood donation mobilization, blood bank and blood use. To give priority to building provincial and regional blood banks so that they can provide high-quality and safe blood for hospitals in the provinces and regions, including the district hospitals.

b/ To socialize the work of voluntary blood donation mobilization under the Prime Minister�s Decision No. 43/2000/QD-TTg of April 7, 2000 in order to increase the sources of safe blood donors. To enhance the integration and coordination among programs and mass organizations. To promote cooperation between the central and local levels, to bring into play the responsibility of contribution and building by localities and the Program on Blood Transfusion Safety.

c/ To renew equipment and techniques in order to increase the quantity and raise the quality of blood collection, the sorting against infectious diseases, the production of blood products, and safe preservation and distribution of blood to the provincial/regional hospitals.

d/ To build the blood transfusion safety systems at hospitals, to draw up plans on annual demand for blood supply, to guide the rational use of blood and blood products, to examine the regulations on blood transfusion safety at hospitals, and to ensure blood transfusion safety at hospital beds.

e/ To train officials and technicians with professional qualifications and skills on blood transfusion safety, to ensure the skilled handling of modern equipment and techniques. To standardize equipment and techniques, blood products and bio-preparations used for blood banks.

f/ To raise the quality of management of blood transfusion safety systems throughout the country, including:

- To amend and supplement the Blood Transfusion Regulation (issued in 1992) to suit the blood transfusion situation in the country and international practices in the 2001-2010 period.

- To decentralize the management of blood banks according to the central, provincial and district levels.

- To build the system of blood transfusion safety quality control from the central to district levels in order to standardize diagnosis equipment, techniques and bio-preparations, as well as blood products of national and international standards.

g/ To enhance cooperation with the countries in the region and the world, as well as international organizations with a view to raising the quality of scientific training and research.

h/ To build Hanoi Hematology-Blood Transfusion Institute into a top specialized one of the Health Ministry so that it can provide professional direction, train cadres for the hematology-blood transfusion sector and, at the same time ensure the adequate supply of safe and high-quality blood for the hospitalizing demand of Hanoi capital.

i/ To enhance responsibility, contribution and cooperation of the ministries, branches and administrations at all levels in the course of program implementation, and to maintain the sustainability of the program after completion.

6. Investment funding:

Investment funding shall be covered by the following capital sources:

a/ State budget;

b/ ODA;

c/ The State’s preferential credit capital;

d/ Retrieved funding;

e/ Other funding sources.

Article 2.- Annually, the Ministry of Planning and Investment shall assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Heath in working out fund allocation plan in order to submit it to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision.

Article 3.- The Ministry of Health shall have to:

1. Assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the concerned ministries and branches in organizing the implementation of the "Program on Blood Transfusion Safety", ensure the adequate supply of high-quality blood and blood products for emergency, hospitalization, and reserve enough blood in service of the security, defense and disaster prevention demands.

2. Rationally organize and build the national blood transfusion system, from the central to district levels.

3. Direct units in building projects to be submitted for approval according to the current regulations.

4. Organize the inspection and examination of implementation of the regulations on blood transfusion safety and the rational use of blood and blood products at hospitals.

Article 4.- The Ministry of Culture and Information and the Ministry of Education and Training shall have to widely propagate humanitarian blood donation. The ministries, branches and People’s Committees at all levels shall coordinate with the Ministry of Health in well implementing the "Program on Blood Transfusion Safety". The Fatherland Front Committees, the Red Cross societies and the Youth Unions at all levels are requested to coordinate with the ministries and branches in propagating and mobilizing people to participate in humanitarian blood donation.

Article 5.- This Decision takes effect 15 days after its signing for promulgation.

Article 6.- The ministers, the heads of the ministerial-level agencies, the heads of the agencies attached to the Government and the presidents of the People’s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities shall have to implement this Decision.