Blood security and Africa's health agenda

IN JUNE, World Blood Donor Day highlights the urgent need for safe blood for patients in need of donations for various health emergencies or diseases.

- DR ALLAN PAMBA

Across Sub-Saharan Africa, we call on our communities to prioritise giving the gift of blood. Each of us has the opportunity to become part of a lifesaving solution.

From maternity wards to trauma units, from children battling leukaemia to patients undergoing surgery, blood remains a critical and irreplaceable lifeline. Blood saves lives. This is not a metaphor, but a biological truth. Still, in low-to-middle-income countries - many of which are in Africa - the life-saving power of blood is out of reach in many communities.

While global headlines often focus on pandemics or breakthrough therapies, the emergency of a safe blood supply continues to cost lives daily, and with minimal fanfare. According to WHO numbers, the median blood donation rate in high-income countries is 31.5 donations per 1000 people, compared to 5.0 donations per 1000 people in low-income countries.

Having worked across both clinical and policy domains in Africa for over two decades, I’ve seen firsthand the value of lifesaving blood transfusions on patient outcomes. Every day, patients receive second chances because donors have given a little time, and innovative screening processes have ensured that the blood is free from dangerous infections.