A university - Led initiative to promote voluntary non-remunerated blood donation in a developing country.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the process, challenges and impact of developing a voluntary non-remunerated blood donor programme in a replacement- based blood donation system. BACKGROUND: Trinidad and Tobago is a developing country whose blood transfusion service is based on replacement and remunerated donors. The University of the West Indies Blood Donor Foundation was formed to promote voluntary non-remunerated donation through education, research and example. METHODS/MATERIALS: The process of establishing the Blood Donor Foundation was documented. Age, gender, number, history (first-time or repeat) and serological tests of donors attending 12 consecutive sessions between 2015 and 2018 were analyzed. Comparisons were made to published PAHO data for TTO's replacement blood donor system and the programme's impact on national policy described. Chi square analysis was used to measure significance of associations and p <  0.05 to assign statistical significance. RESULTS: After research and sensitization, 951 units of blood were collected, 50% from people in the 17-25 age group, 54% from females and 55% from repeat donors. Deferrals were <10% and initially reactive serological tests 1.2% compared to 43.6% and 3.04% respectively (p < 0.05 for both) for the national donor pool. The model was accepted for application nationally. CONCLUSION: A voluntary non-remunerated blood donation programme was successfully established within a replacement-based system providing a model for national adoption.