Topic: Blood Supply Safety
Country: Venezuela
Delegate Name: Gina Saab
School: Royal Oak High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Venezuela position papers GLIMUN 2010 committees
Venezuela recognizes the urgency of the blood supply issue, as well as complications with blood transfusion regarding disease. Likewise, the demand for blood caused by its necessary function in treating injuries, performing surgeries, and also treating several diseases emphasizes the urgency of the issue and the blood deficit’s significance. With the epidemic of underdevelopment and the resulting deficit established, there are fundamental links in remedying the blood supply issue:
a) Funds
b) Supplies
c) Education/Training
d) Collecting Blood Safely and Effectively
e) Repayment as an incentive
Let us first begin with part b) supplies. The reasoning behind this will be later understood. Before any individual or institution is able to take action to help countries in need, there must be materials with which to help them. Besides, facilities must be utilized for the purpose of receiving and testing blood donations, or facilities must be created. These facilities need not be luxurious in the slightest, as long as proper sanitation methods are adhered to. Now there is an evident need for sanitation supplies: soap, water, antibacterial cleaners. Tools for receiving and storing blood must also be obtained. Finally, equipment to test blood for “purity” is necessary for safety.
Now the question arises, “Who will be using these tools?” Part c) Education and training begins the breakdown between a short and long term solution: initially, (that is, for the short term) United Nations representatives will operate blood bank facilities. However, the long term solution begins within the short term: locals will become “interns” in the facilities, learning and working alongside the United Nations to learn the proper techniques for receiving, testing, and storing blood, as well as keeping records. Natives will have the incentive of a long term job working as a part of the long term solution for an annual salary for a long time. That is an appealing offer.
Now that there are people to do work and supplies for doing so, the next question is, “How will the work be done?” First, we need blood, and then we need a safe method of obtaining it. A good incentive to give blood is money. A pecuniary incentive not only encourages donors—it spurs the economy because it puts money in citizens’ pockets. Now we wonder, “Will people who should definitely not be giving blood suddenly try to become donors because of the financial incentive?” The answer is yes, they will. However, there will be a system in place to stop them in their dangerous tracks. When a person gives blood he/she will first fill out a questionnaire regarding his/her medical history, or otherwise complete one orally if the person is illiterate. If the person claims to be eligible, samples of the blood collected will be tested before the person is paid and the blood used. The supplies we will have for testing will come into play. The blood must be tested for diseases such as West Nile or Hepatitis B or C; depending upon the region, the screening of certain diseases will be stressed over that of others less common.
The most important question now arises, “How are we to fund all of these wonderful initiatives and goals?” First, an important relationship needs to be established: health and money versus sickness and debt. When a person is healthy, that person becomes an able body in a nation’s workforce. Therefore, the monetary value of an individual within a nation is equivalent to his/her annual salary. Likewise, if a person is sickly, he/she is consuming the resources of a nation without returning any value. Thus, health yields wealth and the consequence of sickness is increased debt. For this reason, Venezuela has a socialized health-care system: our people are an economic resource, and consequently we make our investment through this system. Part a) Funds is essentially the money that initially funds the project which will be received by institutions that are willing to make an investment in a nation’s health. The amount of money each nation has available to utilize for the blood supply issue’s resolution is equivalent to the equation M=pd, where M is the available money, p is the number of people currently sick and not working (who will be helped by this healthcare improvement), and d is the amount of money each individual would earn per year on average. This equation is derived from the fact that after blood supplies increase, the economy of the nation will gain d dollars for each person who is made able to work and produce. Institutions who lend money to nations in need will be repaid, for example, $1.25 for every $1 they loan. This is the incentive for businesses. Thus, we have moved on to part e) Repayment. The money to repay the institutions who will have lent the money will be available because the nations workforce has increased as a result of better health.
The solution is full circle and it funds itself. We can all agree on the fundamental components: this is the “how.”
