Case for blood processing unit

Press, 29 July 1976, Page 7

Case for blood processing unit

It was tragic that New Zealand, with a high number of voluntary blood donors per head of population, lacked the necessary equipment to do all but the most rudimentary processes of blood fractionation, said the secretary of the New Zealand Haemophilia Society (Mr Tony Goodwin).

Mr Goodwin was commenting on a two-part “World in Action” programme, “Blood Money,” which was shown on TVI on June 21 and 28. The programme, he said, highlighted the problem faced by haemophiliac patients who were dependent on commercial blood products for treatment.

There was a world shortage of all blood products, not just those which pertained to haemophilia, and New Zealand was not divorced from the world shortage.

Few were aware of the perennial shortage of blood components, but a growing demand was disturbing medical and lay people who saw the gap between supply and consumer requirements lengthening to unacceptable proportions, said Mr Goodwin.

Dr P. B. Booth, an immuno-haematologist at Christchurch Hospital and chairman of the Canterbury Regional Blood Transfusion Service said that while there were plenty of blood donors in New Zealand, plasma had to be sent to Australia for fractionation. About 10 per cent of blood given would be sent there.

About 20 years ago when the demand was small it was sensible to come under such an umbrella cover, he said, but now the demand was great and the cost high, about $250,000 a year. A fractionation centre in New Zealand would be more economic.

Dr Booth said there was no shortage of blood products in New Zealand at present, and no-one was suffering. The Transfusion Advisory Committee was preparing arguments for a fractionation centre, and these would be put to the Minister of Health (Mr Gill). Dr Booth said he believed that if there were not such financial stringency in New Zealand at present there would be no argument against a centre. A fractionation centre would save the country money and result eventually in a freer supply of blood products. Although the de-

imand was being met it continued to rise and in Australia the demand had risen so that a second fractionation centre would have to be built.

Dr Booth said that virtually all the “factor VIII” needed by New Zealand haemophiliacs was produced in the country. In Christchurch about 3000 units were produced each year while other fractionation was more difficult and elaborate and was done in Australia.

In its annual report recently the Canterbury Regional Blood Transfusion Service reported a record 17,929 units of blood had been given for the year ended March 31. This compared with 15,584 units for the previous year.