14 Jun 2021

Members of the public have been urged to join  Ministry of Health and Wellness in making access to safe blood a reality for everyone.

The call was made by health and wellness minister, Dr Edwin Dikoloti in his World Blood Donor Day message broadcast over Radio Botswana yesterday.

He said unpaid donors who gave blood regularly were needed to ensure everyone requiring safe blood had access to it.

Dr Dikoloti noted that last year Botswana registered a decline in the number of blood units collected due to the COVID-19 outbreak. 

A total of 23 274 units were collected against the 2019 collection of 24 690, he said.

Minister Dikoloti therefore called on all, especially the country’s young people, to come forth and donate blood.

He said it was still safe to donate blood and be transfused  during the COVID-19 era as long as compliance to preventive measures was maintained.

Dr Dikoloti however said despite challenges  presented by the pandemic, blood donors in Botswana continued to donate.

He singled out Pledge 25 Club Botswana for special thanks saying it embraced the humanitarian call for blood donation and inspired other youth to donate.

This extraordinary effort during a time of unprecedented crisis highlights the crucial role of well-organised, committed voluntary, non-remunerated blood donors in ensuring a safe and sufficient blood supply during normal and emergency times,” he said. 

Noting that adequate blood supply during emergencies required a well-organised blood service, he said it could only be achieved by engaging the entire community and donors committed to voluntary unpaid blood donation throughout the year. 

Dr Dikoloti commended Botswana for attaining the WHO goal of  100 per cent donation from voluntary and unpaid blood donors by 2020.

Government, he said, appreciated the selfless contributions by critical stakeholders to ensure uninterrupted blood supply.

Minister Dikoloti assured Batswana that the ministry would continue to put more efforts into ensuring that blood collection was improved by engaging stakeholders.

He said the ministry remained committed to the provision of resources to ensure safety of donated blood.

It would continue to support all strategies aimed at improving blood collection in the country; not only to recruit new donors but also to retain existing ones by keeping in touch with them and reminding them when they were due for blood donation, said the minister.

Saying safe blood and blood products and their transfusion were critical to care and public health, Dr Dikoloti stated that they saved lives and improved health and quality of life everyday. 

He said safe blood was critical both for treatment as well as urgent interventions and helped patients suffering from life-threatening conditions live longer with a higher quality of life.

Safe blood and blood products transfusion also supported complex medical and surgical procedures; treatment of the wounded during emergencies of all kinds and had an essential, life-saving role in maternal and neonatal care, said the minister.

This year’s  World Blood Donor Day was commemorated under the theme: “Give blood and keep the world beating.”

It was meant to thank donors and create wider public awareness of the need for regular, unpaid blood donation.

 

Other objectives were to promote community values of blood donation in enhancing solidarity and social cohesion, encourage youth to embrace the humanitarian call to donate blood and inspire others to do the same as well as celebrate the potential of youth as partners in promoting health. ENDS