Safe blood saves lives... Give the gift of life, donate blood now!

14^th June, 2013 is World Blood Donor day. In Malawi, as usual the day will go unnoticed, short of any activity that will help raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank voluntary, unpaid donors who give blood on a regular basis. These to me are heroes that have saved so many lives where without them we could have been talking of different stories all together, after losing so many lives. Maybe it’s because on the same day its Freedom day in Malawi so it’s being overshadowed.
 

What shocked me most this week is the discovery that I made that the Malawi Blood Transfusion Service MBTS has run short of blood (this has always been their story anyway) and Queen Elizabeth Central hospital has no blood in its blood bank. While I have been tackling this issue that’s when I heard allegations that sometimes blood from our public hospitals is being sold illegally to private hospitals hence the shortage of blood in the blood banks. I don’t know how true these allegations are but that’s what people say anyway. 

Let’s face it, all countries need a regular supply of safe blood. In low-income countries like Malawi, the biggest demand is for blood transfusions to treat severe anaemia especially in children under 5 years old often resulting from malaria or malnutrition, to manage pregnancy related complications such as haemorrhage before, during and after childbirth, accident victims and patients undergoing surgical procedures.  

In my Media Engagement work where I communicate science and general health issues to the public, I have come to realise that Malawians have the heart to donate blood only that they don’t know how and where to donate. 

I remember last month the MBTS crew came to our offices and they were overwhelmed with the number of people that lined up to donate blood. This tells me that all that we need now is intense awareness so that people must develop that passion to donate blood on their won not because the MBTS guys have visited their place of work or schools.

I remember when we were launching our Umoyo Nkukambirana program on MBC radio one as Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust under the Health Research Now Radio Project, our first topic under discussion was on demystifying blood. When we were doing the recording in the villages, one thing that was dominant was the fact that most people don’t understand why they have to donate blood, what happens to the blood when they donate and who should donate blood.

In most villages when you talk about blood donation the stories that you are possibly going to hear are stories of blood suckers. To them they can’t donate blood because the people who might be taking the blood are blood suckers, unless it’s at the hospital where their relative is in need of blood.

As we commemorate the day under the theme "Give the gift of life: donate blood", let’s keep in mind the following;

• Safe blood saves lives.

• There is a constant need for a regular supply of blood because blood can be stored only for a limited period of time before use.

• Regular blood donation by a sufficient number of healthy people is necessary to ensure that blood will always be available whenever and wherever it is needed.

• Blood is the most precious gift that anyone can give to another person – it is the gift of life! A decision to donate your blood can save the life of one or even several people.

• Yes. Remember that you will only be accepted as a blood donor if you are fit and well. Your health and well being are very important to the blood transfusion service.

• The needle and blood bag used to collect blood can ONLY be used once and come in a sterile pack to ensure that the process is safe.

• Does it hurt when donating blood? : Just squeeze the inside of your elbow tightly and you will have a quick idea of what the needle feels like to give blood. All you should feel is a gentle pressure, but very little discomfort.

Donate blood, save a life and become a hero!