The United States government formally presented blood safety equipment valued at nearly $1 million (8 billion kip) to the Lao government in a handover ceremony on October 6 at the National Blood Transfusion Center of the Lao Red Cross in Vientiane. The equipment included blood centrifuges, blood bank refrigerators and other medical items to support blood safety procedures within the Lao PDR. U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Michael Kleine, Vice President of the Lao Red Cross Dr. Sing Menolath, and Deputy Director of National Blood Transfusion Center Dr. Phengthong Banchanthavong participated in the handover ceremony.
The U.S. Pacific Command Joint Blood Program Office provided the equipment to Laos as part of a blood safety program with Lao Red Cross, public hospitals and the Lao People’s Army. This program is part of the continuing partnership between the U.S. Embassy, the U.S. Pacific Command, the National Blood Transfusion Center, and the Military Medical Department of the Lao People’s Army to assist Laos in meeting its Millennium Development Goals.
