Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis: The Health Ministry and the Executive Management of the Joseph N France Hospital have announced to accept blood donations from suitable donors during the regular hours of work, i.e. from 8 AM-4 PM. Additionally, at times of emergency, no suitable donor would be sent back at any time.
The announcement came as the result of the Health Ministry and the executive management of JNF Hospital’s urge to improve the quality of healthcare facilities for the citizens of St Kitts and Nevis by making some critical amendments to policies and regulations.Â
Moreover, the Health Ministry of St Kitts and Nevis is also looking to enhance the national blood donor pool and reactivation of the national blood donor registry to prevent the recurring blood shortages nationally. Further, the ministry urged the healthy citizens to register as donors and donate blood at least twice a year for the country to have an uninterrupted supply of blood products.
Further, the Health Ministry announced that patients, who are scheduled to undergo elective surgical procedures(deemed to be procedures with a large expected blood loss) at the JNF Hospital, will have to provide suitable blood donors about three days before the procedure. With the implementation of this step, the blood reserves with the hospital can be reserved to be utilized in times of utmost emergency.
The Health Ministry’s plans are also underway to outfit the Pogson Hospital in Sandy Point and Mary Charles Hospital in Molyneux with functional labs that will be used in emergency tests and basic blood and urine tests. With these, the excessive workload over the government laboratories will be reduced, enabling them to focus on the severe cases at the main hospital.
The JNF Committee expressed its gratitude towards the general public for the encouragement and the advice they provided for the improvement of the healthcare system in the country.Â
