FAiTh visited Regional Blood Center Bahawalpur on 27th June 2019. Regional Blood Centre Bahawalpur (RBC) Safe Blood Transfusion Programme. A development project of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, co-financed by the Federal Republic of Germany through KfW Development Bank.

RBC Bahawalpur was inaugurated in December 2017. It is situated inside Bahawalpur Victoria Hospital. FAiTh is thankful to Dr Col (R) Ali Nadeem, Zahid Qazi & all the staff of RBC for their hospitality & briefing us on our visit to RBC Bahawalpur, We were delighted to see the commitment of RBC team, their devotion, the hard work, standard, protocol which is being followed there. The similar standard / protocol should be followed in other blood banks / thalassemia centers too. Safe blood provision should be the top most priority of all blood banks & thalassemia centers like Regional Blood Banks.

The staff thoroughly briefed us about all the procedure, protocol, how an attendant arrive at RBC, what procedure they have to follow, they showed us all the steps involved in blood donation, screening, component making, storage & distribution.

Thalassemia patients in Bahawalpur Victoria Hospital now receives blood from RBC without any charges and without any donor, they are asked to provide donors but not forced.

Before RBC the hospital blood bank was unable to provide timely blood to thalassemia patients but after the formation of RBC thalassemia patients are having timely transfusions, they are getting proper screened blood as per their requirement.

RBC providing daily 50+ blood units to thalassemia patients and on Thursday they provide 100+ units. Till June 2019 they have provided more than 18 thousand blood units to thalassemia patients of Bahawalpur Victoria Hospital.

Thanks to all the team of RBC for the information, hospitality & tour.