Le Memorial Hospital In Blood Donation Drive

Le Memorial Hospital at Kitiko Lubowa off Entebbe road is conducting a campaign to ensure sustainable blood donation among the Ugandans. 

The move is in response to Uganda Blood Transfusion Services-UTBS; the country’s blood supplier cry out about insufficient blood in the country

Uganda requires over 400,000 units of blood annually but only 300,000 units are collected yet it is needed to stop people from dying in hospitals due to lack of blood supply

“Like we said, we don't have a factory anywhere in the world which manufactures human blood, yet we need blood on a daily basis. So that’s why we go out there and look for this unit of blood” said Lilian Nantambi a blood donor recruiting officers at UTBS

Most of the blood is collected from schools making students the biggest donors of blood in the country.

The “Donate blood, be a hero “campaign will encourage regular blood donation as needed to maintain a stable supply of safe blood with sufficient capacity to respond to emerging  infectious  diseases, disasters and emergencies.

Dr. Henry Ddungu, a senior consultant in Haematology at Le Memorial hospital said, “Our requirement for blood is really high.  Most of the blood goes to the children who are suffering from malaria, who are suffering from other diseases, then we have mothers who are pregnant and undergoing the process of labor and delivery; they need blood, and also patients with cancer”

According to the World Health Organisation, we need 1% of the population to donate blood.

 “The challenge is that this blood is quite inadequate. Many of you have heard of stories where people say you go to look for blood but you can’t have it.   Indeed even in the studies we’ve done, we found that if you require 100 units you can only get 30 which is a 3^rd of what you need” stated Dr.Ddungu.   

The shortage of blood in Uganda is linked to unguided practices that result in irrational use of blood where a person who may not actually need blood is given blood when one who urgently needs blood does not get it.

According to Nantambi fear is a key deterrent of people from donating blood in the country.

“Some people fear the needle, fear to see blood being drawn out of their veins, fear they will die after donating blood, fear fainting while donating or fear getting different diseases after donating blood”.

Another factor is that some people claim they donate blood freely but whenever they go to hospitals, they sell them blood.  Some other people claim they don’t feed well and don’t have enough blood to donate, or are suffering from Non communicable diseases and HIV/AIDS.

Le Memorial Medical Services Hospital, a 90 bed private medical facility and a well-known Oncology centre is targeting to collect 150 units during the “Donate Blood, be a Hero” campaign drive.

Staff at the multi-specialty hospital with three operating theaters, modern executive suits, private rooms, high definition ultrasound machines and modern labor suits led by example by being the first to donate blood. 

 “As health facilities, we are often the biggest natural hubs and blood donation centres because such facilities are accessible to the public, making it easier for people to donate blood regularly”.

Namaganda Sumahiya, the head laboratory attendant at Le Memorial medical services, noted that they have trained staff, and equipment to handle blood donations sufficiently.

The hospital she averred boasts of   a modern Blood bank refrigerator with installed regulators to ensure that blood is stored safely and is in good condition when it is required.