Section 4: Status of the armed forces blood transfusion centre

The Armed Forces Blood Transfusion Centre is part of the Armed Forces Health Service. It is placed under the hierarchical authority of the central director of this service. The Armed Forces Blood Transfusion Centre’s mission is to collect blood and blood components and to prepare, store and distribute the labile blood products required by the armed forces. To this end, the Armed Forces Blood Transfusion Centre : 1° Collects blood…

The Armed Forces Blood Transfusion Centre is made up of a central structure and external structures, known as blood transfusion sites, located in certain armed forces hospitals. The organisation and operation of the centre, including the list of army hospitals where the blood transfusion sites are located, are laid down by order of the Minister for Defence. The administrative and financial management of the Armed Forces Blood Transfusion Centre is…

The director of the centre, chosen from among the army doctors who meet the conditions set out in article R. 1222-9-2, is appointed by the Minister for Defence, after consultation with the Minister for Health.

The State assumes responsibility, even without fault, for the risks incurred by donors as a result of collection operations carried out by the Armed Forces Blood Transfusion Centre.

Exports of labile blood products by the Armed Forces Blood Transfusion Centre are not subject to the procedure set out in article L. 1222-3 when they are carried out as part of the centre’s mission as defined in 3° of article R. 1222-53.

The Armed Forces Blood Transfusion Centre must comply with the technical, health and medical conditions defined in articles R. 1222-35 to R. 1222-39.

The Armed Forces Blood Transfusion Centre may, except in the cases provided for in article R. 1222-58, export the labile blood products mentioned in article D. 1221-67-1 to foreign armed forces and, after checking that national requirements are met, export other labile blood products prepared in its laboratories, particularly as part of international military cooperation. It informs the Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament et des produits de santé of…

I.-Any violation observed within the Armed Forces Blood Transfusion Centre of the legislative and regulatory requirements applicable to it, as well as the elements mentioned in article L. 1222-11, may result in the modification or temporary or permanent withdrawal of the approval provided for in VI of article L. 1222-11 under the conditions mentioned in this article. II -Modification or withdrawal may only take place after formal notice has been…

In order to ensure better use of resources and means in the field of blood transfusion, agreements concerning the collection of blood and its components and the preparation, storage, transfer and exchange of labile blood products are concluded between the armed forces blood transfusion centre and the Etablissement Français du Sang. These agreements must comply with standard clauses defined by an order of the Minister for Defence and the Minister…

Notwithstanding the provisions of article R. 1221-18, the Armed Forces Blood Transfusion Centre may distribute and supply labile blood products which it alone has available to Armed Forces hospitals for which it is not the referring blood establishment.