AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE Benjamin Mkapa Hospital (BMH) will soon open a 1bn/- worth blood bank and transfusion center in a bid to contain serious shortage of safe blood in the Central Zone.
The prospective center, apart from assisting patients, will also play a pivotal role in assisting the state-owned hospital to perform bone marrow transplant services to sickle cell patients.
The Hospital’s Executive Director, Dr Alphonce Chandika, noted here yesterday that the envisaged health facility will be of paramount significance in addressing acute shortage of safe blood in the Central Zone.
With growing population, Dodoma region is experiencing an alarming shortage of safe blood to transfuse patients in relevant needs.
According to head of Dodoma Regional Blood Bank, Dr Leah Kitundya, the current demand for safe blood in Dodoma stands at 1,000 and 15,000 blood pints per month.
“But unfortunately, our blood bank presently has only 670 to 678 blood pints in a month,” she said.
Dr Kitundya said the number of blood donors has decreased due to the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic across the globe, saying most of blood donors in Dodoma are students in secondary schools and higher learning institutions.
“Following the closure of secondary schools and universities, the shortage of safe blood has become serious after closure of secondary schools and universities,” she said.
She informed that in an effort to curtail the acute of shortage of safe blood in the fast- growing region, the government had directed and mandated each district in the region to collect safe blood.
“As of now (yesterday), our blood bank has only 78 blood pints, a small unit that cannot suit the currently growing demand,” she observed.
However, despite numerous efforts to advance safe blood services in Dodoma, the region lacks ELISA, which poses as a great challenge in blood collection and supply in the region.
ELISA, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), is a commonly used analytical biochemistry assay.
The assay uses a solid-phase enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect the presence of a ligand (commonly a protein) in a liquid sample using antibodies directed against the protein to be measured.
Dr Chandika said to install the key machine, ELISA needs permission from the National Blood Transfusion Service of Tanzania (NBTS), adding, “We will only install the machine, ELISA, if permitted by the relevant authority,” Currently, blood being collected in Dodoma region is transported to Dar es Salaam for scientific approval, a situation which apart from delays, pose a challenge
