Uganda has for years experienced a shortage of blood for transfusion to patients. According to the Uganda Blood Transfusion Services (UBTS), 10 percent of Ugandans who urgently need blood do not get it due to shortage in supply.
The UBTS Executive Director, Dr Dorothy Kyeyune Byabazaire, attributes the shortage to a lack of donors and limited financing.
Dr Byabazaire says the country requires 500,000 units of blood annually, but only
439,000 units were collected last year.
The World Health Organisation recommends that a country should collect blood units equivalent to at least one percent to three percent of its population annually to meet basic national health needs.
However, the UBTS officials say they have failed to meet this target.
A major cause of the shortage is the overreliance on pupils and students to donate blood while they are at school. They contribute about 80 percent of the blood supplied to health facilities.
During school holiday periods, health facilities across the country face acute shortages of blood.
UBTS officials say they are compelled to heavily depend on pupils and student donors because many adults are reluctant to donate blood.
Blood donation campaigns conducted by UBTS and its partners are usually hindered by the hesitancy of many people because of several factors.
Some people who are eligible to donate blood wrongly fear that they may develop health complications after doing this noble act.
There is also reluctance by some to donate blood because they are scared of knowing their HIV status, given that all potential donors are required to undergo an HIV test, among others.
Others hesitate to donate blood because of claims that some unscrupulous health workers sell the blood, which is supposed to be given free of charge to those in need of it.
Health facilities need blood to save the lives of patients, such as those suffering from anaemia, mothers after childbirth complications, accident and trauma victims, among others.
Unfortunately, because of the blood shortage, lives that could have been saved have been lost on several occasions.
To save lives, we call upon the public to donate blood. Do not leave this cardinal civic duty to pupils and students.
Adults must lead the way in ensuring health facilities have blood.
The Ministry of Health and UTBS must also step up efforts to educate the populace on the importance of donating blood.
People must be informed through all means of communication about the process, who is eligible, and how often one can donate blood.
People should be reassured that it is safe for those who are eligible to do this duty to humanity.
The Ministry of Health and UTBS must also ensure blood donated by the populace is not sold by unscrupulous health workers.
Furthermore, the government must also give UTBS the funds required to conduct its duties.