By Lesnat Kenan
Lilongwe, June 13, mana: The Malawi Blood Transfusion Service's (MBTS) Blood Donor Manager, Mervis Chirwa, has stated that the organization is experiencing low blood stocks due to a decline in blood donations across the country.
She made the remarks during a World Blood Donor Day public dialogue held at Lilongwe Teacher's Training College on Friday.
"Currently, the blood stocks in our blood banks are unstable because many people are not donating. That is why we are appealing to all Malawians to donate blood so we can improve our supply,” she said.
According to Chirwa, fear and cultural beliefs are some of the factors contributing to low turn out of blood donors.
She further explained that mostly men have high turn out in terms of blood donation as compared to women.
She therefore appealed to women between ages 16-25 to take a lead in donating blood saying in most cases women need blood in various health services.
She also added that 70 percent of blood donors are students between 16-25 years old.
In his remarks, Dan Kapombosola Banda, Head of Health and Social Services at the Malawi Red Cross Society, said the organization, in collaboration with MBTS and volunteers, is encouraging blood donation in various communities by providing training and essential information to help people understand the blood donation process. This initiative aims to ensure that the country has an adequate blood supply.
Meanwhile, Malawi will commemorate the World Blood Donor day on June 14th, 2025, which will be held under the theme ‘Give blood, give hope: together we can save lives’.
