Kuwait's blood bank celebrates silver jubilee of international recognition

The American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) renewed the accreditation of Kuwait's Central Blood Bank (CBB) immune and blood disease laboratories under the AABB Accreditation Program.
The move completes 25 years of international recognition of the CBB, the Director of Blood Transfusion Services of the Kuwaiti Health Ministry Dr. Reem Al-Radwan said Thursday.
Al-Radwan said in a statement to KUNA that an international inspection team from AABB visited the blood bank over three days to assess its performance and quality in order to renew recognition of the bank.
The health official added that during the visit, an audit and inspection work was conducted to all laboratories and departments of the bank to ensure the quality work at the bank, in addition to evaluating performance in blood disease and immune laboratory for comparison with the reference laboratories recognized by the World Organization of American blood banks.
Al-Radwan noted that there 1,111 AABB Accredited Blood Banks, Transfusion Services, and Blood Donor Centers including 34 facilities overseas.
The official pointed out that the blood transfusion services received these visits periodically every two years to renew the organization of international recognition, adding that such recognition started in 1989.
AABB's Accreditation Program strives to improve the quality and safety of collecting, processing, testing, distributing and administering blood and blood products; it assesses the quality and operational systems in place within the facility