The project supports public health policies and programmes of Georgia in the field of communicable diseases and blood transfusion. It upgrades national blood safety legislation and assesses blood banks. It is a Twinning of Lithuanian, Dutch and Georgian partners, where European colleagues help Georgian counterparts with strengthening national capacities and assisting in carrying out reorganisation of blood transfusion service, establishing laboratories, establishing quality systems for blood establishments.

The project envisages institutional changes through the establishment of new structures or/and integrating new functions into existing structures, such as national competent authority, centralised/referral laboratory, etc., at both central and regional levels, in public and private sectors, that is based on sector policy.

The project conducts needs assessment of the current situation (legal regulations, analysis of all existing reports and analyses, target group analysis, etc.), produces recommendations and guidelines, and supports Georgian counterparts with implementation of such new regulations.

To upgrade national blood safety legislation and strengthen national institutional capacities in accordance with European regulations and the Association Agreement, to provide equal safety standards of blood components across the nation, assure safety of blood related services and prevent the spread of blood borne infections by blood transfusion.

- Approximation of Georgian primary and secondary legislation with the Union acquis on blood safety performed
- National regulatory framework in blood safety revised and upgraded in accordance with Union acquis on blood safety
- A well-organised, nationally coordinated blood transfusion system established and functioning in accordance with provisions of the Association Agreement
- National Competent Authority established and fully functional to take the role, tasks and responsibilities required by EU Blood Directives
- Assessment of blood banks performed
- Reorganization of blood transfusion service (BTS) carried out
- Transition to the mandatory non-profit organizational form for blood establishments initiated
- Centralized TTI testing laboratory(s) established
- National reference laboratory established
- Nucleic Acid Testing for screening of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and HCV introduced at centralized testing laboratory(s)
- Requirements for a quality systems to maintain the highest possible standards in all aspects of blood transfusion developed and implemented
- Unified Electronic Donor Database upgraded
- National Haemovigilance Network established
- Unnecessary blood transfusion at clinical settings reduced
- Awareness of the general population and specific target groups on blood transfusion increased
- Donor recruitment services strengthened at blood centers
- Capacities of the National Competent Authority and Beneficiary Administration strengthened
- Capacities of the centralized laboratory and healthcare institutions (blood establishments, hospitals) strengthened