Increasing Population Causing Blood Crisis-UBTS Advises Ugandans To Celebrate Valentine's Day By Donating Blood.

Uganda each year, only about 300,000 (Three hundred thousand) pints (236,600 litres) of blood are collected through official channels.

This means that the demand for blood in Uganda has out numbered the blood collection results into hospitals giving blood to patients for profit and there are few or no legal frameworks to ensure that blood is freely administered to patients in both private and government health facilities.

Ugandans are often reluctant to give blood because of bias that hospitals and health workers are selling and making profits from their freely donated blood. The national transfusion body, Uganda Blood Transfusion Service (UBTS) says this has resulted into low supply of blood yet the demend is always drastically increasing.

Apart from blood being sold to hospitals, biomedical, academic centres and pharmaceutical companies also have high demand for blood.

 Dorothy Kyeyune Byabazaire, the Executive Director UBTS revealed that selling of blood is entirely blamed on the Directorate of Clinical Services not because their responsibility  (UBTS) stops at Health Center Four level stressing  that selling of blood is illegal in Uganda.

“We have put up posters in hospitals stating that blood is not for sale. Each unit of our blood is labelled “not for sale” if you are asked to buy blood in a hospital, contact UBTS for action to be taken,” she said.

The ED said this corrupt practice is common with health facilities which fail to account for blood units received which practice is impacting negatively on the supply of blood.

In  related development,Uganda i set to host the 11th Africa Society fr blood transfusioncongressbetween 4th to 7th march 2024 which event is expected to bring experts and stakeholdersin the field of blood trasfusionacross the continentunder the theme:Safe and Sustainable Blood Transfusion Services in Africa-Adopting Global Innovations and Technology Advancementin Blood Transfusion Services.

Dr. Dorothy Kyeyune Byabazaire The Executive director Uganda Blood Transfusion revealed to Spyreports that World Health Organisation guidelines state tha a country is deemed self-sufficientin safe blood collection when it reaches one percent of its population.

She added that with Uganda's population  expected to reach 55million by 2025, the demand for safe blood is projected to increase accordingly, including for the refugee population within the country and encouraged Ugandans to atleast donate a unit of blood when celebrating valentines day.