Program and Event

U.S. Provides Advanced Training in Blood Safety Procedures to Lao Military and Civilian Medical Technicians

American military officers and Lao military and civilian medical practitioners participate in a workshop hosted by the U.S. Embassy and U.S. Pacific Command on blood safety.

The U.S. Embassy and U.S. Pacific Command, in a collaborative effort with the National Blood Transfusion Center of the Lao Red Cross and the Ministry of Health, sponsored a Blood Safety Technical Training Workshop for military and civilian medical practitioners in the Lao PDR at the Novotel Hotel on September 24–25.

This workshop provided practical training for approximately 60 Lao military and civilian medical practitioners and technicians on advanced medical procedures for blood testing and handling, to ensure the safe use of blood and blood products during medical procedures within Lao PDR. In addition, a team of U.S. military medical technicians from U.S. Pacific Command, in coordination with the Lao Red Cross, the Ministry of Health, and the Military Medical Department, will visit provincial Blood Centers and civilian and military hospitals in Savannahket and Champasak to provide additional training and assistance. 

These training events are a continuation, at a more advanced level, of the training on blood safety at the initial Blood Safety Workshop held at Don Chan Palace, July 8 – 10, 2009. 

Earlier this month, more than fifty U.S. Embassy personnel donated their own blood to the Lao National Blood Transfusion Center on 11 September, 2009, as a way to remember and honor victims of the September 11, 2001 tragedy in the United States.