By Petro Mkandawire

Blantyre, May 8, Mana: Malawi Blood Transfusion Services (MBTS) has surpassed an annual target of 110,000 pints of blood after collecting 122,428 pints in the year 2023/2024 representing 11 per cent compared to last year when it collected 77,754 pints.

Marketing and Public Relations Manager, Janet Katonda disclosed this in an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Tuesday in Blantyre.

She said MBTS was meant to collect 75,599 pints in the year 2022/2023 but it surpassed this by 3 per cent, adding that blood collection was progressing well every year due to among other factors involvement of faith and community leaders and other people of good will in the blood collection campaigns

“We are geared to strengthen our relationship with blood donors, corporate stakeholders as well as community and faith leaders. These partners play a bigger role in blood collection processes because they help in mobilizing people to donate blood and they also make available blood donation facilities,” Katonda said.

She added that community awareness campaigns, mobile clinics, and social mobilization are some of the strategies MBTS put in place to help in dealing with myths and misconceptions that hinder blood collection processes.

The Manager thanked and encouraged blood donors to continue donating blood regularly to maintain level of blood in the banks.

Executive Director of Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN), George Jobe told Mana that MHEN takes a role of sensitizing people on the importance of donating blood to those in need.

He added that MHEN plays an advisory role to MBTS on how it should mobilize people to donate blood and other blood collection strategies to ensure adequate blood in their storage.

“We are grateful to hear that MBTS has surpassed their target. As MHEN we have been engaging MBTS to have the Unstructured Supplemented Service Data (USSD) strategy as a way of communicating with communities on the need to donate blood,” he said.

Jobe added that Malawians should be assured that blood donation was a humane gesture that saves many beloved lives in the country’s hospitals.

He said there should be ways and means of dealing with myths and misconceptions that have potential to hinder blood collection and donation at the expense of those that are in dire need of blood.