MINSK, May 17 (BelTA) — Speaker of the Republic Council of the National Assembly Natalya Kochanova visited the National Research Center for Transfusion Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, BelTA learned.

“The purpose of my visit to the National Research Center, just like the purpose of my visit to the Center for Transfusion Medicine in Minsk, is to find out how blood-derived drugs are going. This is a very important question, because these drugs are vital for the health system and our population. After visiting the Center for Transfusion Medicine in Minsk, we agreed to meet here next time. In fact, we used to import some medicines, but today we can produce them entirely by ourselves, we have everything for that. Today we will discuss this issue with the director of the National Center for Research in Transfusion Medicine and Medical Biotechnology and the Minister of Health to decide how we can produce all the blood products necessary for the health system and for our population. ”, Natalya Kochanova mentioned.

The speaker pointed out that the National Center for Research in Transfusion Medicine and Medical Biotechnology conducts very serious research projects. “We have seen that the center is developing sophisticated drugs that should be used in our healthcare system. Moreover, the reagents used to perform the laboratory tests are also produced here. After all, every person who comes to donate blood must pass the most serious tests. These reagents do not need to be imported, and we really appreciate that the center tries to produce all the substances it needs itself,” she said.

The National Research Center for Transfusion Medicine and Medical Biotechnology is the main organization of the National Blood Service of Belarus. It collects, processes, tests and distributes donated blood, manufactures blood-derived medicines, develops and produces biotechnology products using cell and genetic engineering technologies. The center employs 512 people, of which 43 employees are involved in research, 3 employees are professors and doctors of science and 15 employees are associate professors.

In 2021, the number of donors has increased. A total of 17,773 people donated blood and its components, 15,251 people donated blood, 2,522 people donated blood components.

Each year, the center prepares more than 44 tons of various blood components, processes more than 50 tons of plasma for drugs, produces blood products, biomedical cell products.