HEALTH | UFZA | BLOOD DONATION

The Uganda Free Zones Authority (UFZA) mobilized over 80 units of blood on Valentine's Day to equip Uganda Blood Transfusion Services (UBTS).

The activity took place at the UFZA offices at Communication House in Kampala on Tuesday, where over 47 blood units were raised by midday.

According to Doreen Kembabazi, Public Relations Officer, the UFZA has been running a blood donation drive for the last four years, especially on Valentine's Day as a gift to the public.

"We decided today to have more individuals; there is no better gift for love other than blood." "We choose this as our corporate social responsibility every year on this day," she said.

Esther Awor, the blood donor recruiter at UBTS, said that the bureau is targeting 300,000 blood units to be able to sustain demand across the country.

"We need 33,000 units monthly to be able to sustain hospitals in the country; we work with different institutions that do it under their CSR campaigns to mobilize blood donations." "With UFZA, we do it annually, while others do it quarterly," she said.

Awor said that institutions like the National Drug Authority (NDA) participate every quarter as part of medicine distribution to hospitals.

She added that the biggest contributors to blood donation are schools, and since the term has just opened, UBTS' next stop is schools, which contribute over 75% of the blood needed across the country.

UBTS says that the major causes of blood anemia are severe malaria in children and adults, a lack of nutrition, and diabetes in areas of drought in Uganda.

Jane Mbalu, an employee of I&M Bank who donated, says she does so regularly because she has friends with children who have sickle cell anemia.

"Whenever I find the drive, I donate; I have friends with children suffering from sickle cell anemia, and I encourage everyone to donate," she said.