Saudi health ministry launches electronic program to monitor infectious diseases in blood banks

A nurse carries bags of blood donated by Saudi residents at the King Faisal Hospital in Riyadh. (File photo / Reuters)

RIYADH: The Ministry of Health has launched a newly developed email module to monitor cases of infectious diseases detected in blood banks.
The move is part of an initiative to report infectious diseases following the successful pilot phase that was adopted by four central blood banks in Riyadh, Sharqia, Makkah and Taif.
The aim of the initiative is to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases among different blood banks in all sectors and accelerate the process of taking appropriate preventive measures.
The ‘Fortress Program’ is an integrated electronic system to control diseases and epidemics, and it is intended to monitor infectious and epidemiological diseases electronically through the Internet and to develop control mechanisms.
It also aims to electronically follow-up on basic vaccinations, standardize processes, models and health reports throughout the Kingdom, as well as reducing discrepancies in monitoring diseases between various areas and health facilities.
The program will provide health workers and decision-makers with timely and accurate information that enables them to offer the best health services.