Five blood transfusion centers will be set up with the assistance of blood donors and municipalities, said Ali Akbar Pourfathollah, head of the Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization (IBTO).
The 11 small transfusion centers in Tehran are to be merged and replaced by five standardized centers. Moreover, a project for mobile blood transfusion centers is also in progress; initial measures have been taken and funds for nine mobile transfusion centers have been allocated by the IBTO. The availability of safe blood supply is critical for both medical intervention and national health security, he added, reports ISNA.
The focus will be on development of plasma and plasma-derived products.
Pourfathollah stressed the role of the private sector in reinvigorating the blood products industry. “There is great capacity to localize the plasma industry and the private sector can invest in this regard.”
If the necessary infrastructure for plasma products is provided, IBTO will increase blood transfusion capacity by 25%, equivalent to an additional 500,000 liters of blood, he added.
