Transfusion medicine : the french model

Founded on 1 January 2000 and placed under the authority of the Ministry of Health, the French Blood Establishment (EPS) is the sole public provider of national blood transfusion services in France. ISO 9001: 2008 certified and formed by seventeen regional establishments, the EFS manages the activities of collection, preparation, testing and distribution of labile blood products. Its role in maintaining the country's self-sufficiency in labile blood products, whilst meeting the highest quality and safety standards, makes it a major contributor to public health in France.

Three major features set French transfusion medicine apart from other international models:

• in France, blood donation is underpinned by four founding principles: it is anonymous, voluntary, non-remunerated and not-for-profit. "Ethical blood donation" is the foundation of the French model;
• this model is led by a single government agency, the EFS, which has a monopoly over the distribution of