Africa-Press – Mauritius. The 15th annual Blood Donation campaign organised by the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) was launched, this morning, at its headquarters in Port Louis, in the presence of the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal, and the Director-General of the MRA, Mr Sudhamo Lal.
On that occasion, 2,500 face shields were donated by the MRA to the Ministry of Health and Wellness and an online platform for the control of dangerous drugs and psychotropic drugs was launched.
In his address, Minister Jagutpal recalled that blood and blood products remain essential components in the delivery of safe, efficient, and timely healthcare.
The transfusion of blood and blood products is a vital life-saving intervention and is required daily in various types of medical interventions, he said. He lauded the yearly initiative of the MRA which acts as a tremendous support to the Blood Transfusion Services.
He emphasised the need of having a well-maintained Blood Bank since even at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, urgent surgeries and medical interventions were still being carried out.
Furthermore, he commended the various initiatives taken by NGOs and the MRA which have enabled the Blood Bank to maintain its stock levels. He appealed to the public to participate in the blood donation campaign which will be held on two days in five sites across Mauritius.
Recalling the benefits of blood donation, the Health Minister underlined that it is highly beneficial to the blood donor. It helps in reducing harmful iron stores for the donor, lowers the risks of suffering a heart attack and of developing cancer, and also helps the liver to stay healthy, he said.
Minister Jagutpal further dwelt on the various initiatives taken by the Ministry of Health and Wellness to upgrade its capacity regarding blood collection, blood safety, and laboratory services.
They include: operationalisation of two new Blood Testing and Collection Caravans; and, scaling up of the Laboratory Information Management System where laboratory results are obtained and communicated to health professionals in record time.
As regards the online platform for the control of dangerous drugs and psychotropic drugs, Mr Jagutpal recalled that the system was recommended by the Commission of Enquiry on Drug Trafficking adding that it will be fully operational within one month.
The system, he said, will allow to record the sales of precursors, including dangerous chemicals, as well as the close monitoring of the sales of dangerous drugs by distributors and pharmacies in Mauritius.
As for the MRA’s Director-General, Mr Sudhamo Lal, he highlighted that since 2007 when the MRA started to organise its yearly blood collection event, some 13,000 pints of blood have been collected.
He expressed satisfaction that the MRA has been recognised as the best Blood Donation Organisation in Mauritius. He acknowledged the unflinching support of the Ministry of Health and Wellness and other stakeholders to make the event a success.
As part of its Go-Green initiatives, the MRA will offer plants to those who are donating their blood and in turn those recipients will help in enhancing the environment, he added.
Speaking about the online platform, he underlined that this centralised database for the export and import of dangerous drugs will facilitate better control in the supply chain.
This platform will be hosted as an e-Service on the MRA website where all transactions from import to the end users of precursor chemicals will be captured to enable the MRA and the Ministry of Health and Wellness and other enforcement agencies to exert a proper control of these substances along the supply chain and target any diversion for illicit purposes, he stated.
The MRA blood donation campaign is being held on 23 March 2022 at the Ehram Court and Belfort Tower in Port Louis, and the Customs House in Mer Rouge.
This event will also take place on 25 March 2022 at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport and the Integrated Customs Clearance Centre in Plaine Magnien. During the last MRA Blood Donation, the organisation collected 1,647 pints of blood.
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