The Uganda Blood Transfusion Services (BTS) has revealed that relatives and friends of patients in need of blood could be looked at as immediate options to save lives by donating blood if the lock down persists.
This is according to the agency’s Executive Director Dorothy Byabazaire Kyeyune while appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament.
The desperate move comes amidst a shortage of blood due to the lock down that led to the closure of educational institutions which are the major blood donors.
The blood Bank collected 56,800 Units against a target of 75,000 units of blood in April.
Byabazaire explained that amidst the shortage, the cost of getting blood has also gone up because teams have to go deep into the villages in the search for donors who can no longer be brought to a single collection point due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.
She said that if the situation persists, voluntary blood drives might be halted, and instead, relatives and friends of patients who need blood will be asked to donate and save their loved ones.