Management of national blood programmes

Overview

A series of three workshops on "Management of National Blood Programmes" was organized jointly by the Blood Services Group (‎BSG)‎ of the Health Sciences Authority (‎HSA)‎ in Singapore and the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific (‎WPRO)‎, Manila and Regional Office for South-East Asia (‎SEARO)‎, New Delhi, supported by the Singapore Government through its Singapore Cooperation Programme. The three workshops were conducted annually from 2007 to 2009. Each workshop focused on key management areas that were deemed to be critical components of well-managed blood programmes. Presentations on various aspects of these management areas, interspersed with practical sessions and group discussions, combined to provide participants an overview of key learning points. Round-table discussions and sharing of different practices gave a good understanding of management practices in the region and illustrated the many ways in which different issues and challenges could be managed. A key outcome of the workshops was the forging of strong friendships and collegiate networks between the participants. This publication collates the topics covered during the three workshops, and serves as a useful reference for public officers and professionals involved in the management of national blood services.