In a continued effort to strengthen the quality and coordination of Sri Lanka’s transfusion services, the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS), through its Education, Training, and Research Unit (ETRU), hosted a regional Continuing Medical Education (CME) workshop on 30th May 2025 at the Teaching Hospital Polonnaruwa. This impactful event brought together blood donation teams from three key clusters—Polonnaruwa, Trincomalee, and Batticaloa.
The workshop served as a dynamic forum to enhance knowledge and reinforce core principles of safe blood collection, donor care, and ethical campaign management, while also fostering cross-district collaboration and unity among provincial teams.
Cluster representation included:
Polonnaruwa Cluster: Polonnaruwa and Medirigiriya Blood Banks
Trincomalee Cluster: Trincomalee, Kanthale, Kinya, and Muthur Blood Banks
Batticaloa Cluster: Batticaloa, Valachenai, Kattankudy, and Kalawanchikudy Blood Banks
The program focused on core clinical competencies as well as leadership and communication skills essential for field-level blood donation teams. Participants benefited from expert-led sessions on:
Safe and standardized donor selection and collection procedures
Trends in donor risk behavior and implications for blood safety
Managing donor reactions and ensuring post-donation wellbeing
Building professional excellence in donor campaigns through teamwork and ethical conduct
The event concluded with a Q&A forum that encouraged feedback and open dialogue, strengthening inter-cluster connections and reaffirming shared goals.
This CME marks a critical milestone in empowering teams from the Eastern Province to elevate service delivery and safeguard public health. Through consistent training and knowledge-sharing platforms, NBTS continues to build a resilient, skilled, and community-driven national blood service.