The Maldonado Regional Blood Center is a public institution belonging to ASSE, which, thanks to the results of its voluntary donation campaigns, managed to become the country’s Reserve Blood Bank. Currently, due to their trajectory and demand, they are working on a project to expand their central building (to be carried out in stages beginning this year) and to implement a Breast Milk Bank there.
Per year it obtains 1/3 of the blood that is collected throughout the country, with 35,000 voluntary donors, which allows them to supply the entire national territory. The technical director of the Blood Center, Dr. Jorge Curbelo, expressed in an interview with Grupo R Multimedio that these figures respond to the “valuable” work carried out by the communication area. That is responsible for attracting donors, by disseminating information, ranging from the importance of donating to the tour of its Mobile Unit.
This expansion seeks to exponentially increase the number of donors and material that will be transferred throughout the country. To provide this support they plan to have sufficient infrastructure, staffing and technical equipment.
From the Hemocentro they state that the project aims to improve the quality, availability and distribution of blood components; the building improvement, which will have a direct impact on the improvement of production, also increasing the number of donors, managing to meet all the needs of the country. More clinics will be installed and there will be a better distribution of the work space, minimizing the time of the donor care processes, optimizing human resources and production times. In addition, in the new areas they will incorporate new technology addressing Biomolecular Medicine that is currently not possible. Among its novelties, they report that they made an agreement with the CLAEH University of Medicine to implement the Bachelor’s degree in Transfusion Medicine.
The new work division of the Blood Center will be grouped into the following Zones:
- East: Maldonado, Rocha, Lavalleja, Treinta y Tres, Cerro Largo.
- North: Artigas, Salto, Paysandú, Rivera, Tacuarembo.
- West: Durazno, Río Negro, Soriano, Colonia, Florida, Flores, San José.
- South: Montevideo, Canelones.
First Breast Milk Bank in the interior of the country
“Hopefully we can transmit the same as with blood donation, because giving in solidarity is an enormous act of love that helps save lives and in this case helps children develop correctly,” Curbelo stressed.
The Blood Center of Maldonado works together with that of Barcelona, a union that allowed the birth of the creation of the Milk Bank. Dr. Curbelo explains that once we learn about the process that each Bank demands, we understand that “the only difference is that you have to exchange a blood bag for a bottle.”
The creation has a projection that covers the entire national territory, where each department will have its center with the necessary stock. This seeks to cover an unsatisfied demand and enable the creation of real opportunities for a better quality of life in early childhood for those who have no way of accessing this food. The aim is to collect and process 10,000 liters of milk to cover the needs of premature infants in the region. In addition to being able to offer breast milk to those newborns who cannot feed from their mothers (either due to addictions or pathologies).
The Regional Blood Center started a pilot project for a Breast Milk Bank using its current infrastructure. Where he managed in these first months, to attract 85 donors, and care for 164 babies with difficulties in accessing this vital food.
It is of fundamental importance the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding. Because it provides multiple benefits to newborns, such as antibodies for the prevention of infections and diseases. It also contains the necessary nutrients for healthy growth and development, it helps reduce neonatal morbidity and mortality and future complications of premature or low birth weight newborns. It stimulates neurological development and strengthens the immune system.
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