Some Aspects of Blood Transfusion Practice In West Africa
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Date
1994
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Ghana Medical Journal
Abstract
Blood transfusion began in Ghana in 1954 at the
Medica1 Research Institute Laboratories, Korle-Bu,
to meet the demand by surgeons and obstetricians.
Until about ten years ago over sixty per cent of
blood usage in Ghana was for surgery Surgeons
and obstetricians have therefore played and continue
to play significant roles in the development of transfusion
medicine in West Africa especially in those
countries without transfusion medicine experts. As
indicated below, the pattern of blood usage in Ghana
has changed with diseases of children and women
making the most demand on the blood supply. Practice
of blood transfusion for a long time was on the
basis of "bleed and give" with only a casual check
on the donor's blood hemoglobin and enquiries on
a past history of jaundice. Until recently there was
no screening for syphilis or hepatitis B. The blood
was given immediately or stored in a sma11 blood
bank refrigerator or domestic refrigerator for a few
hours or days.
Description
Journal Article
Keywords
Hepatitis B, haemoglobin, surgeons and obstetricians, Blood Transfusion, West Africa