Kitgum General and St. Joseph Hospitals in Kitgum District have embarked on a local blood donation drive to curb the current shortages.

Thomas Ojok, the Kitgum Hospital administrator, said the facility is in a serious dilemma due to the scarcity of blood.

He adds that they are overwhelmed with patients, especially children in need of blood transfusions.

Ojok noted that the crisis stems from the facility receiving inadequate supplies from the Gulu Regional Blood Bank of 30 to 50 units per week, yet the number of patients in need of blood is between 250 and 300.

“The number of patients is overwhelming, and the most affected are children, pregnant mothers, accident victims, malaria patients, sickle cell patients, and surgical complex cases,” said Ojok.

He noted that due to this scarcity, people with patients are depending on good samaritans and local donations to salvage the situation, which also has its side effects as it goes through a process of screening before it is cleared for use.

Dr. Pamela Atim, the Medical Director of St. Joseph Hospital, said the common cases in need of blood transfusions are bleeding before and during deliveries, abortions, and related complications, which are among the top five causes of death in Uganda.

However, according to the World Health Organization, Uganda’s population is 45 million people, and 450,000 units of blood are required annually, but only 300,000 are collected.

The Uganda blood transfusion services normally carry out campaigns for blood donations across the country; however, in the recent past, the collection seems to have dropped due to corruption. Blood is meant to be given for free, but some hospitals sell it at 100,000 shillings per unit, forcing people to stop donating.