Topic: Blood Supply Safety
Country: Ghana
Delegate Name: Issac Ross
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Ghana position papers GLIMUN 2010 committees
AIDs, HIV, malaria, measles, and typhoid are dangerous and very common in many African countries and so, it is crucial that the blood donated by non-governmental aid organizations (NGOs) such as the Red Cross, Red Crescent, Safe Blood Ghana Foundation and many other donation centers throughout Africa and the world is stored safely and is screened to stop the spread of deadly diseases. Furthermore, many citizens and workers at donation centers are undereducated in disease control, personal hygiene, and the safe storage of blood. A very cheap and very basic refrigeration system costs nearly $9000 U.S. dollars per unit. Taking into account that multiple, high-tech, units needed to safely store blood would cost anywhere between $45,000 U.S. dollars all the way to $100,000 U.S. dollars, proposing the problem that many developing countries may not be able to afford such products.
The first case of HIV was reported in Ghana in 1986 and Ghana was able to control the slow incline of the disease until about 2003. Currently Ghana has been able to keep the severity of the disease down and helps stop the spread of it through NGOs such as Safe Blood Ghana Foundation (SBGF), which helps educate volunteers and the staff running the donation centers. Also the SBGF has created bonds with multiple other NGOs. They SBGF also supports the Red Cross and the United Nations in blood safety and awareness of disease. The Red Cross regulations cause them to screen all incoming blood donations, Ghana also tries to screen all incoming blood donations from volunteers ensuring blood safety. The United Nations should create strict rules and regulations of safety for each blood sample such as undergoing tests or screenings by trained professionals, obtaining background from donors on past diseases, and ensuring the patient or volunteer is safe. Also, every donation center should be cooperating, by sharing information and backing up safety regulations, with either the Red Cross, Red Crescent, or United Nations to ensure maximum safety. Also, the United Nations, working with NGOs should help supply the money needed to purchase safe refrigeration units to countries that need them through donations and aid.
Nearly every country in the United Nations would agree with these standards, the standards would be set in place to ensure safety of both the volunteers, and the patients receiving blood transfusions through donations from greater economically advanced countries and NGOs.
The countries that would most likely oppose these suggestions would be those who do not want interference from the United Nations or from the Red Cross or Red Crescent organizations. The countries that wish to do things on their own and do not want to deal with any interference.
