Blood transfusion saves lives, but if not tested and used appropriately, it can also cause harm. Every country, regardless of the economic development level, is therefore, trying to regulate the transfusion system. In Pakistan, the key issue in the blood transfusion sector remains a lack of governance and regulatory setup. The heterogeneous state of affairs makes provision of quality service to the large population a very challenging task. The general purpose of the regulation of the Blood Transfusion Sector is to guarantee the provision of safe and effective blood and blood components to patients who require blood and blood components transfusion. Regulation implies enactment and enforcement by the government, of laws and rules for safe blood transfusion practices.
The government, therefore, under its Department of Health establishes a guardian of the transfusion system, i.e. the Blood Transfusion Authority. The Blood Transfusion Authorities are present in all provinces of Pakistan for the implementation of the blood safety laws and is a separate institution under the health department in all provinces except for KPK where it is integrated into Health Regulatory Authority. These regulatory bodies have never been fully or properly empowered for various reasons including lack of a proper service delivery structure, insufficient political commitment, etc. In the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), the authority was notified in 2005 but became dormant during the recent past and therefore, with the objective to ensure blood safety and regulation of blood banks in ICT, the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination re-activated the Islamabad BTA which is expected to become a model for other provinces. The authority functions under the Islamabad Blood Safety Ordinance No. LXXIII 2002, now covered by the 16th Amendment. Prof. Hasan Abbas Zaheer, who is Professor of Haematology at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Islamabad, has been nominated as the Chairman, IBTA. The IBTA will be an autonomous regulatory body for both the public and private sectors, and in addition to oversight and control functions, it will assume a steering role to guide the overall development of Blood Transfusion Services, in its jurisdiction, towards the highest possible standards. This steering function is essential in an environment like Pakistan where there is an enormous diversity and fragmentation across the sector, which may be interpreted as strength or weakness, but reflects an unregulated blood transfusion system. The authority will also undertake capacity building measures in ICT blood banks for all levels of professionals along with developing a haemovigilance mechanism and communication network with provincial BTAs.