Experts comprising researchers and healthcare personnel drawn from selected countries have met in Accra to brainstorm efficient measures to ensure safe, efficient, and reliable supply of blood in Africa.
The symposium, which is being held in Ghana for the first time, is part the BLOODSAFE Programme, funded by the US National Institutes of Health, and implemented in Ghana, Malawi, and Kenya.
The goal of the BLOODSAFE programme is to enhance the availability and delivery of safe blood to be used for transfusion in patients from low or lower-middle income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The meeting provided an opportunity for the implementers of the projects to discuss challenges identified in the fourth year of the six-year project and share strategies to meet increasing demand of blood and its related shortfalls on the continent.
Under the BLOODAFE Programme, study teams in Ghana, Malawi, and Kenya work together with one data coordinating centre (DCC) in the US with the goal to improve access to safe blood transfusion in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The study team in Ghana is focusing on studying and decreasing iron deficiency anaemia in blood donors and evaluating the use of WhatsApp and docudrama to make first-time blood donors become repeat donors.
The study team in Kenya is implementing innovative interventions to address deficits across the blood continuum, with the goal of optimising blood donation, collection, testing, and timely availability of blood in low-resource settings.
The Malawi team is studying the blood donor retention strategies aimed at blood donors who commence their donation career in secondary schools.
Opening the symposium, Professor Meghan Delaney, the Chair of BLOODSAFE, said the study teams had worked tirelessly in their respective fields with the common goal of enhancing safe blood transfusion and availability in Africa.
She said the meeting would provide an opportunity to take stock of the progress thus far and strategise to meet the targets of the projects within the stipulated period.
Dr Makeda Williams, a representative from the Centre for Translational Research and Implementation Science (CTRIS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA, encouraged the various study teams to explore workable and innovative solutions to address issues of blood safety and availability on the continent.
“Each study team brings a unique research strategy to enhance blood donation, safety, community-based approaches, school-based approaches, process mapping, and supply chain management,” she said.
The World Health Organisation has indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic led to a “significant” decline in voluntary unpaid blood donations in Africa. Malawi, for example, registered a 46 per cent decrease in donations during the period, the meeting heard.
Prof. Felix Asante, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Development, University of Ghana, said the development is cause for concern and emphasised the need to explore efficient measures to bridge the gap.
He called for more investments in research on the subject to deepen understanding of the problem particularly in Africa to support programmes and policy decisions.
The BLOODSAFE Programme is expected to improve approaches for increasing access to safe blood in Sub-Saharan Africa as well as mentor and build the research capacity and careers of the various study teams.
