Covid-19: Kasangati residents team up to save lives
Residents of Kasangati, Wakiso District pictured donating blood. Photo by Anthony Wesaka
The four-month Covid-19 lockdown has also affected the collection of blood units by the Uganda Blood Transfusion Services, Daily Monitor has learnt.
This is because the learning institutions that have been the major sources of blood donation, have since been shut down by government in a bid to curb the spread of the global pandemic.
It is against this background that a civil society organisation, the Centre for Health, Human Rights and Development (Cehurd), in collaboration with the Uganda Red Cross, yesterday teamed up and mobilised residents of Kasangati in Wakiso District to donate blood.
Ms Anne Lumbasi, the Senior Programme Officer at Cehurd, said blood is an essential lifesaving commodity with no substitute especially for women and girls giving birth and suffering hemorrhage, the reason they joined hands with Red Cross to raise at least 100 units of blood to help in the Covid-19 lockdown.
"The major sources of blood are institutions of learning which were shut down and with restrictions in movement especially the curfew and transport fees hikes, Uganda Blood Transfusion Services cannot adequately meet the daily targets of blood required to cater for those who critically need it such as women and girls giving birth that are at risk of suffering from hemorrhage, road accident victims," Ms Lumbasi said.
Adding:"During this lockdown, there has been a public outcry of shortage of blood and its products in different health facilities countrywide as reported in the media and testimonies from the health care providers and patients who have either missed out on their transfusion schedule or suffered loss of lives."
Ms Jennifer Drarelu from Uganda Blood Transfusion Services said the intervention of Cehurd to mobilise Kasangati residents to donate blood, was timely given that the Covid-19 lockdown has greatly affected their collection.
"The Covid-19 lockdown has really affected our blood collection and this has led to many people dying due to lack of blood. We call upon more people to come out and give blood to save lives," Ms Drarelu said.
Hemorrhage is one of the leading causes of maternal deaths in Uganda accounting for 48.5 percent, almost half of deaths reported according to the health ministry.
Annually, Uganda needs at least 410,000 units of blood as recommended by World Health Organization but it's collection has been since March been affected by Covid-19 pandemic.
