Dr Caroline Hilton has been appointed as the Lead Medical Consultant (LMC), a newly created position at WCBS. Dr Thembie Sitsila will take over the reins as the Head of the Medical Department from 1 January 2023.
We welcome Dr Thembie Sitsila and wish her success in her new role.
The LMC will oversee the haemovigilance programme that monitors all safety aspects related to blood donation and transfusion. This encompasses a wide range of tasks such as monitoring and looking at ways of reducing donor adverse events, ensuring that deferral criteria are valid and do not unnecessarily turn suitable donors away, overseeing the donor ferritin and source plasma programmes, and the analysis and monitoring of transfusion reactions. The LMC will work closely with the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) and the Independent Haemovigilance Committee to monitor serious risks of blood donation and transfusion for the country.
Please feel free to contact Dr Hilton or Dr Sitsila for any medically-related queries: therapeutic phlebotomy, designated donation, lookback investigations and platelet apheresis queries can be directed to thembie.sitsila@wcbs.org.za, and all other queries to caroline@wcbs.org.za.