Topic: Blood Supply Safety
Country: Lebanon
Delegate Name: Kelsey Paulus
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Lebanon position papers GLIMUN 2010 committees
The topic of blood supply safety is a high priority for Lebanon. That is why we are so aware of the growing situation in the world today. In 2000 the president of the general assembly, Theo-Ben Gurirab, found this matter to be so important that he made it the central topic of world health day. Lebanon has a complex system that allows any person who is in need of any kind of blood transfusion to be able to receive it in a secure location called the Lebanese Red Cross. The Lebanese Red Cross is equipped with the most sophisticated medical devices to check the safety of each donor’s blood. The Director- General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, stated that "despite all the technological marvels that humanity is experiencing, reliable and safe blood supply is still out of the reach for untold millions of people around the world. This situation is unacceptable, and it must change.” He said this because, most of the developed countries in the world are in a stage of electronic boom, but most developing countries are the same as they were 50 years ago.
Some of the reasons our scientists scan the blood is to determine what kind of blood it is, to make sure there is no cases of Hepatitis B or C, and to be positive that there are no HIV (AIDS) viruses- syphilis that would make the blood unusable. To make sure Lebanon doesn’t have any discrepancies with any part of the United Nations we adopt the safety and security standards decided by the World Health Organization. A sample of the donated blood is then kept for over six months to prevent any misinterpretations about the safety of the area in which the blood was donated. It is very safe and beneficial to give blood, especially in a time of hardship or war when many people could potentially be saved from a blood transfusion. The United Nations has done a lot in regards to the safety and security of the blood supply however, more needs to be done. Lebanon proposes we make a campaign with well informed workers of the common misconceptions about giving blood ( Ex. affects the reproductive system, helps gains weight, weakens the donor’s blood, can cause the donor to contract a disease.) With all the misconception taken care of, hopefully more people would be willing to give blood, and more people would be willing to receive blood. It would not be a complete new initiative for the United Nations because they already have several services going to countries and getting donor’s blood through this program however, the new program would call for the workers to inform all of the people why they should give blood and how it is in no way harmful to themselves. Not only would these people need to go to inform these communities about blood and answer any questions they have they would also need to go to keep the blood supply fresh and healthy so that the blood is in its prime to transfuse back into the body. This would be a difficult task to perform due to the fact that not all countries are equipped with electricity; however, the UN workers would need to bring generators and back up generators to try an accommodate for that.
All countries should be willing to help with this great program, especially smaller developing countries. They could benefit the most from this program.
Some countries who might not be as willing to participate in this program are larger countries who think they do not have as big of a problem with blood supply safety as they do.
