Venezuela Red Cross Blood Program experience

The Red Cross blood program has been constantly analyzed worldwide, in Latin America there is evidence of numerous problems, common to the majority of the Red Cross programs such as: some countries do not have a national policy, there is little education about voluntary and free blood donation, lack of coordination between blood banks in each country, and the high number of infectious diseases related to blood transfusion. Due to these difficulties, the Interamerican Network of Blood Programs was created in March 1997, during a workshop in Quito, Ecuador, to find answers and bring solutions to all these problems. As partners of this network, complying with the organization health policies and with those carried out by the National Blood Bank Program in Venezuela, we have carried out an important job, mainly in recruiting blood donors to conform voluntary donor banks through strategic alliances between public and private blood banks. These actions have permitted us to contribute with the availability of free safe blood. In each sectional of the Red Cross in Venezuela, activities are carried out depending on the ability of response and on local needs. Some experiences are described in the present article and we expect to give alternatives to continue with the noble cause of "donate life".