Home LifestyleHealthBreaking News Mbale Blood Bank Begins Door-to-Door Collection Drive

Mbale Blood Bank Begins Door-to-Door Collection Drive

by Uganda Times

Dr. Ahmed Bumba, the Principal Medical Officer in Charge of Mbale Regional Blood Bank, says to address the problem they have embarked on a door to door campaign calling upon Ugandans to donate blood. He explains that schools have been the biggest source of blood donors and their closure because of the OVID19 pandemic has hit the blood collection campaign hard.

Dr.Ahmed Bumba on moving door to door

Mbale Regional Blood Bank has started a door-to-door campaign to request good Samaritans to donate blood because of shortage.  The regional blood bank has been struggling to collect blood since the closure of schools on March 18, 2020.

The blood bank only collects up to 40 units of blood currently, compared to an average of 180 units the bank used to collect daily before the lockdown. 

Dr Ahmed Bumba, the Principal Medical Officer in Charge of Mbale Regional Blood Bank, explains that schools have been the biggest source of blood donors and their closure because of the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the blood collection campaign hard.  


Dr Bumba said that they have split the three teams that were collecting blood in the region into 15 smaller groups that will be moving to rural areas in the search of blood donors. He says that they have started rationing the little available blood and cautioned Health Facilities to only handle emergency cases because the demand for blood keeps increasing.  

Dr Emmanuel Tugayineyo, the Director of Mbale Regional Referral Hospital, says 90 per cent of blood donors in eastern Uganda are students. Tugayinayo urged members of the public to embraces the blood donation campaign at different centres to save lives of those that need transfusions.

Mbale District Health Officer Dr Jonathan Wangisi says the blood bank has cautioned health centres to use blood sparingly because they are experiencing a shortage.  

Ayub Kirinya

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