Uganda Blood Transfusion Services (UBTS) has called upon citizens to engage in blood donation ahead of the 11th International Congress of the Africa Society for Blood Transfusion (AFSBT). Uganda will be hosting the congress from March 4–7, 2024, to ensure safe and sustainable blood transfusions.
According to the Executive Director of UBTS, Dr. Dorothy Kyeyune, UBTS is honoured to host the 11th AFSBT congress.
“According to the guidelines of the World Health Organisation, a country is considered self-sufficient for safe blood if it collects blood to the tune of 1% of its population,“ Dr. Kyeyune said.
“We extend our invitation to all health care workers, blood donors, information technology players, medical equipment manufacturers, social workers, SMEs, scientists, and the general public to this colourful event,” Kyeyune added.
According to UTBS, for a country that has 45 million people, it requires 450,000 units of blood annually to meet the blood needs of the country. The blood transfusion body further urged citizens to donate blood to those in need, stating that no donation is small enough.
“A single drop of blood can make a huge difference. Be the reason for someone’s existence; donate blood today.”
UTBS states that of the blood currently collected, 29% is used to treat severe malaria, 17% is used to treat sickle anaemia, 15% is used to treat cancer patients, six percent is used to treat accident victims, and 16% is used to treat other severe cases like serious burns and surgical procedures.
Kyeyune further said that the UBTS vision is to be an effective, efficient, and sustainable blood transfusion service delivery institution in Uganda, and they look forward to meeting and interacting with key players and people in the blood transfusion industry.
She also urged members of the public not to miss the insights and new technologies in blood transfusion that will be showcased at the congress in March 2024.
