The Uganda Blood Transfusion Services (UBTS) has developed a new system to track each unit of blood dispatched, aiming to eliminate the persistent selling of blood at various health facilities across the country.
In contrast to the previous reporting system, the new approach requires responsible officers to meticulously account for each unit of blood they receive, including details on its usage and the specific beneficiaries.
Dorothy Kyeyune, the UBTS Executive Director, highlighted that this new system will enable tracking of each unit from donor to recipient.
Transfusion blood is intended to be provided free of charge in both public and private health facilities, overseen by the director of clinical services in the Ministry of Health.
Statistics from the Ministry of Health indicate that 60 percent of collected blood is allocated to children, 25 percent to women with pregnancy-related issues, and the remainder to other medical conditions, including escalating surgeries.
It’s worth noting that Uganda annually collects fewer than 300,000 units of blood against a required need of 450,000 units.
Despite widespread condemnation, the tendency to sell transfusion blood in health centers persists, resulting in fatalities among those unable to afford payments.