Today is World Blood Donor Day. According to the World Health Organization, the event serves to thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood. It also raises awareness of the need for regular blood donations to ensure that all individuals and communities have access to affordable and timely supplies of safe and quality-assured blood and blood products. This is an integral part of universal health coverage and a key component of effective health systems.
Pictured is Josephine, one of the laboratory technicians at Maternity Africa’s Kivulini Maternity Centre. She manages donations of blood, essential for saving precious lives. Sometimes, if a lady attends for antenatal care, our laboratory detects that there is a problem with her blood – for example, her hemoglobin level may be sub-optimal. If that is the case, her relatives are asked to donate blood in advance of the lady’s delivery, so that it can be transfused if necessary when she comes to give birth.
Other stocks of donated blood are maintained so that they can be transfused during emergency treatment, and the patient’s life saved.
Maternity Africa is thankful for the relatives of patients and other donors, who offer their blood to help make childbirth safe.
If you would like to support the work of Maternity Africa, please follow the link below. Thank you.