Strengthening the blood supply system
The Technical Assistance for Strengthening the Blood Supply System project (co-funded by EU and Turkey) aimed at addressing the issues safe provision, use of blood and blood products as well as the harmonization with the European Union legislation on blood and blood components.
The aim was to strengthen and improve the effective functioning of the blood supply system in Turkey and to create self-sustainability within this system. The Technical Assistance Team (TAT) of the project assisted the Turkish Ministry of Health (MoH) in the development of a national blood program in-line with current EU legislation.
For this purpose, the project facilitated a number of activities aimed at achieving the following results:
1. Database necessary to develop a national blood program is formed;
2. A revision of blood banking and transfusion for the whole country in line with requirements envisaged by relevant EU legislation made and a strategic plan published;
3. Legal base and technical infrastructure for effective implementation of the standards of blood transfusion established;
4. Human resources necessary for effective operation of the administration of blood in the MoH and Turkish Red Crescent (TRC) that supervise and/or manage regional blood centers developed;
5. Human resources necessary for an adequate, efficient, safe and high quality blood supply system operating in line with EU standards created;
6. Regular flow of information between the blood establishments and national authority.
C³ Training: An extensive training-of-trainers program was developed with 105 trainers and multipliers, mostly from the Ministry of Health and the Turkish Red Crescent. The five-day standard course for trainers combined technical knowledge about blood safety and related EU regulations with C³’s action-oriented and experience-based training method.