The Rotary Club has given the people of Anguilla a gift of life: Blood bank equipment worth over US$90,000 comprising a blood bank fridge, a blood bank centrifuge, two ultra-low freezers, a platelet agitator, a plasma thawer, two blood collection devices and a heat sealer.
Speaking during the handing over ceremony on Tuesday afternoon, Mrs Genefa Feedee, President of the Rotary Club, said that in 2015 the Club decided to undertake a project that would have a significant impact on the island, hence the provision of a blood bank.
“Blood signifies life, and to have a functioning blood bank facility is a vital component of any national health system, and so we selected the blood bank as our signature project,” she said.
Mrs Feedee spoke about a personal experience with a loved one in her family who needed blood, and of a fellow Rotarian who encountered a similar experience – but there was no blood bank – hence the project became a labour of love to prevent other families from going through such difficult encounters.
Dr Sherlan Richardson, Acting Director of the Medical Services, observed that the blood bank was “a very important step in increasing the services at the hospital,” and that “for far too long we have been reliant on persons coming to donate blood for emergencies – and now with the blood bank this will allow us to be more ahead of the game than before.”
The Honourable Minister of Health, Evans McNiel Rogers, thanked the Rotary Club for its invaluable contribution to the hospital:
“This equipment not only makes the work of the medical technologist and medical team easier, but much more effective. The benefit of the blood bank is significant in this endeavor.”
Minister Rogers, who is quite vocal in his quest for a modern Medical Complex said: “It [the blood bank] is a significant baby step in the grand scheme of things. There is much more to be done in improving the healthcare services for the inhabitants of Anguilla,” he added.
The Rotary Club thanked Mr Albert Lake who donated land for the raffle, which it organised, in order to raise funds for the blood bank. Mrs Jacquie Ruan, President Elect of the Club, also thanked two benefactors who significantly contributed towards the cause. She said because of their kind gesture, the Rotary Club did not have to seek assistance from the other Rotary Clubs for the purchase of the equipment.
