Kampala, Uganda | ENTEBBENEWS.NET | Ugandans have been urged to turn up in large numbers tomorrow, July 10, to donate blood during Housing Finance Bank’s fifth annual blood donation drive as the country continues to grapple with a shortage of lifesaving blood supplies.
The exercise, organised in partnership with Universal M. Enterprises Affordable Housing and the Uganda Blood Transfusion Service (UBTS), will take place at Housing Finance Bank’s Head Office in Kololo from 8:00am. The campaign is open to both the bank’s customers and members of the general public.
The initiative comes at a time when Uganda continues to face a blood supply deficit despite making significant progress in increasing blood collections over recent years.
According to UBTS, Uganda requires approximately 500,000 units of blood annually to meet the World Health Organization’s recommended threshold. However, the country collected about 439,000 units last year, leaving an estimated one in every 10 patients in need of blood unable to receive timely transfusions.
Hospitals across the country require between 1,000 and 1,200 units of blood every day to support emergency care, surgeries, maternal health services and treatment for severe illnesses.
Health experts say children suffering from severe anaemia caused by malaria account for nearly 60 percent of blood transfusions in Uganda. Other major beneficiaries include mothers experiencing childbirth-related bleeding, road crash victims, cancer patients and people living with sickle cell disease.
All blood collected during tomorrow’s drive will be processed and distributed by the Uganda Blood Transfusion Service to health facilities across the country to help save lives.
Housing Finance Bank said the annual campaign reflects its commitment to supporting national development through initiatives that improve community well-being beyond its core banking services.
By partnering with UBTS and Universal M. Enterprises Affordable Housing, the bank hopes to mobilise employees, customers, business partners and the wider public to contribute towards strengthening the country’s blood reserves.
The blood donation drive also forms part of broader national efforts to increase voluntary blood donation through partnerships involving government agencies, the private sector, civil society organisations and development partners.
UBTS has in recent years intensified blood collection campaigns in schools, universities, religious institutions, workplaces and communities while encouraging more adults to become regular blood donors to reduce reliance on students, whose absence during school holidays often leads to declining blood stocks.
The agency has also invested in modern blood screening technology to improve the safety and efficiency of blood processing before distribution to hospitals nationwide.
Health officials say every unit of donated blood has the potential to save up to three lives and continue to encourage all eligible Ugandans to become regular voluntary donors.
Members of the public willing to donate are expected at Housing Finance Bank’s Head Office in Kololo from 8:00am on Friday, July 10, where medical teams from the Uganda Blood Transfusion Service will conduct donor screening and oversee the blood collection exercise.
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