Africa blood transfusion experts meet in Kampala

By Christopher Bendana

Kampala

The 11th International Congress of Africa Society for Blood Transfusion opened on 4 March at Speke Resort Convention Center in Munyonyo, Kampala, Uganda with members making commitments to improve safe blood access on the continent.

Jane Aceng, Uganda’s Health minister who meet the press before opening the congress said he was learning from the different parties on how to improve blood management in the country.

 “I am benchmarking,” she said.

She said blood need can reduce malaria incidence, and road accidents are reduced as the two health challenges use much of the blood.   

Isaac Kajja, a blood transfusion expert from Makerere University College of Health Sciences argued that blood transfusion committees were being created in different hospitals to narrow the gap between the national transfusion services and the clinicians who administer the blood to the patients.

He also said blood was for free.   

“Don’t sell blood. It is for free,” he said.

Karin Van den Berg from the South Africa National Blood Services said Africa can learn from successful countries like Australia and called on countries to implement patient blood management based on evidence.

“Understand the local reality, “she said  

Katerina Pavenski, a scientist at the University of Toronto, Canada presented, Burden of anaemia and iron deficiency in Africa and What can be done encouraged the provision of iron tablets, especially to the blood donors to improve their health highlighting the importance of educating them before they are given the supplement.

The congress that runs until 7 March has delegates from Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, and Cameroon among other African countries.

Other members are from Germany, the United States of America, China, India, Germany, Belgium, and the private sector from across the world