04 Dec 2018

 Botswana’s blood bank currently stands at 20 148 pints with a deficit of 3 940, Assistant Minister of Health and Wellness Mr Biggie Butale has revealed.

The disparity between demand and supply of blood, Mr Butale said, had dire and fatal consequences on the nation.

“There is no substitute for blood nor can it be manufactured, hence the need for a large pool of blood donors,” he said. 

  Delivering a keynote address at the National Blood Transfusion Services stakeholders’ meeting on December 2, he said despite increasing demand for blood and its products, there had been a decline in the number of blood collections in the country in recent years.

 According to the World Health Organisation, he said, the Ministry of Health and Wellness should be collecting blood from two per cent of the total population translating into 45 000 pints annually but in 2017, only 24 088 were collected.

“We are at a very crucial moment as a country, whereby collection numbers drop every year. Let us join hands and put our synergies together and work to bring life to our population,” he said. 

He expressed concern that the WHO target had never been attained and appealed to citizens to donate to ensure that shortage of blood and its products became a thing of the past.

Currently, he said recruitment of potential blood donors at ground level also remained the greatest challenge. 

  Minister Butale said there was therefore need to retain regular blood donors. 

He expressed gratitude to all stakeholders that NBTS had built strong partnerships with for playing an important role in blood collection with no expectation of remuneration. ENDS