Blood shortage hits hospitals

Fri, 09 Jun 2017 14:08:07 +0000

By CHIKUMBI KATEBE

THERE is a serious shortage of blood in Zambia due to the growing demand for the lifesaving liquid with the developments in healthcare services across the country, Zambia National Blood Transfusion Service director Joseph Mulenga has disclosed.

Dr. Mulenga said there was a sudden increase in demand for blood tissue in health facilities following the upgrading of most health centres from mere clinics to high level healthcare service providers which included treatment of complicated conditions including maternity cases.

He said the establishment of high level hospitals across the country has affected stocks in blood supply as the facilities now handle more complicated conditions which required intensive treatment including transfusions.

He said even the establishment of specialised facilities such as the Cancer Diseases Hospital (CDC), cardiac treatment and operations, and renal decease treatment facilities have all increased pressure on demand for blood from the ordinary.

He said most health facilities were currently upgrading to becoming high level health institutions which treat more complicated ailments such that they required huge quantities of blood as other supplies compared to previously when such complications were centrally treated at University Teaching Hospital (UTH) Ndola and Kitwe Central hospitals, Livingstone and a few other private health institutions.

He said with all these upgrades, the ZNBTS has maintained its numbers in terms of blood donors which by far remains insufficient to meet the explosive demand.

Dr Mulenga explained that most health facilities today have well developed maternity wings which automatically demand available supply of blood, and with the high number of road traffic accidents, there was critical need for sufficient stocks, which most hospitals were failing to manage as the source was poorly supplied.

“Indeed there is a crisis in blood stocks at the Blood Bank, but it is not as a result of our inability to deliver, but rather the high demand drawing from the developments in the health sector infrastructure that is seemingly growing against the required number of blood donor.

“According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), with the country’s estimated 15million population, we should have at least one percent of the people as blood donor, but that is not the case, as a result we are running into this crisis,” he said.

He said the transition of a nation from a 3rd world country to a developed country creates pressure on amenities including health care services, and the blood bank has not been spared.

The medical expert said with high level health facilities, there was pressure on all its operatives including procurement and distribution of drugs and other medical utensils equipment, and blood.

Dr Mulenga said the setting up of renal dialysis centres at all provincial hospitals, increased hospital bed space with the construction of new health facilities and expansion of old facilities, and the development of expertise services at both existing and new structures have also increased demand for services.

He has since appealed for a multi-sectoral approach to developing more blood donors to help meet the high demand, adding that “otherwise as ZNBTS we are present in all provincial centres and ably equipped with equipment and manpower to receive and process the blood, but what we do not have is the raw material”.