TİKA Equipped the Institute for Transfusion Medicine of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) equipped the Federal Institute for Transfusion Medicine.  

The Institute for Transfusion Medicine of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was founded in 1960 and is affiliated with the Federal Ministry of Health. Working in cooperation with the Clinical Center of the University of Sarajevo, the Institute for Transfusion Medicine is the largest and best-equipped institution collecting, processing, testing, storing, and distributing blood and blood products, meeting the need for blood-derived medicines, and performing transfusion therapy. Furthermore, it supervises hospitals and other healthcare institutions operating in the field of transfusion in the country and carries out quality control processes.

The Institute for Transfusion Medicine prepares 37,000 different blood components annually. When needed, it provides components such as RBC concentrates, filtered RBC, platelets, and fresh frozen plasma not only in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also in the Republic of Srpska. Nearly 20,000 blood donors visit the Institute for Transfusion Medicine every year. Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency provided an automated blood and blood component separator and other necessary equipment for the Institute to be able to fulfill its vital duties.

The delivery ceremony held at the Institute for Transfusion Medicine was attended by Sadık Babür Girgin, the Republic of Türkiye’s Ambassador to Sarajevo; Dr. Aida Đozo, Director of the Institute; Muhammed Ünal, TİKA’s Program Coordinator in Sarajevo; healthcare providers; and press members.

Ambassador Girgin stated that Türkiye implemented various technical support projects through TİKA to increase the capacity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and that this equipment was provided as part of one of these projects. He added that the device provided offer a combination of functions that are offered by several devices separately. He said that the modern device donated would benefit all the citizens of the country and that their health projects would continue.

Starting her speech by thanking TİKA and the people of Türkiye, Dr. Aida Đozo, Director of the Institute, stated that they were very happy with the support provided for their institute, which fulfils an important duty even though it is not at the forefront in the health system. She added that no health system would be fully effective without transfusion. She said that they would be able to offer safer services of higher quality to patients thanks to the modern automated blood and blood component separator donated. She noted that they could use the most cost-effective blood bags without being dependent on a specific blood bag manufacturer, as the device uses an open system.

In his speech at the ceremony, Muhammed Ünal, TİKA’s Program Coordinator in Sarajevo, said that he was happy to provide a device needed by the most authoritative institution in the country in this field and to contribute to improving the quality of service to be offered to patients. He added that the health sector was one of the priority areas for TİKA and that they strove to meet the needs in this sector. He noted that they did not only provide equipment, but also organized capacity building programs for healthcare providers. He ended his speech by stating that 2022 marked the 30^th anniversary of TİKA and that they have been making efforts to reach more people with the same excitement and determination