Blood Bank appeals for more blood donation

Dec 08, 2016

Nassuuna said that WHO recommends that a country collects at least one percent blood units of its total population.

Nakasero Blood Bank has urged Ugandans to donate blood saying the blood collected annually is insufficient.

Joyce Nassuuna, an official from Nakasero Blood Bank said that the blood collected in Uganda cannot meet the targets as per the World Health Organisation's (WHO) guidelines.

Nassuuna said that WHO recommends that a country collects at least one percent blood units of its total population.

"In Uganda we collect 250,000 units of blood annually yet according to WHO's guidelines, we must collect 370,000 blood units," she said.

 oyce assuuna an official from akasero lood ank speaking Joyce Nassuuna, an official from Nakasero Blood Bank speaking

 
She made the remarks on Monday at Riley Packaging factory at Lwanyonyi village in Nama sub-county in Mukono district as the workers were donating blood.

Nassuuna said that so many patients are in hospitals longing for blood yet it must only be got out of donations adding that there is no factory in the world which manufactures blood.

"The reason why we must collect blood on a daily basis is that blood expires after 34 days," she said.

She adds that because Nakasero Blood Bank does not have enough funds to move in all corners of the country looking for people to donate blood, they mostly base on companies which invites them after moblising the workers who are willing to donate blood.

Vipul Desai, the director of Riley Packaging said that they always carry out blood donation twice in a year and called upon other companies in Mbalala Industrial Area in Nama sub-county to emulate them.

 


Desai said that they aim at saving the Ugandans who need blood as a result of accidents, pregnant mothers during deliveries and children with several illnesses.

Paul Zziwa who was among the workers who donated blood said that more Ugandans must willfully donate blood saying some fear that they may get health problems after donating which is not true.

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