REPORT OF A STUDY ON BLOOD NEED ASSESMENT IN TANZANIA

Ministry of health and social welfare through National Blood Transfusion service (NBTS) in collaboration with Center for Disease control (CDC), American Association of Blood bank (AABB) and FELTP launched the study to establish current clinical pattern of blood use, quantification of the National blood demand and estimation of National blood needs in Tanzania in June 2013 and ended in October 2013.

The study involved 42 Transfusion facilities in both Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar; dissemination meeting on the findings of the study was officially opened by acting chief medical officer Dr Margareth Mhando on 18^th November 2014.

Speaking to CDC officers, Hospital directors, Regional medical officers, medical officers in charge and NBTS officers, acting Chief medical officer Dr Mhando said “before the study NBTS did not know how much blood was needed to meet demands for Blood transfusion treatments of patients in Tanzania, NBTS was using WHO formula to estimate blood needs using 1% of population or when at least 10 whole blood units is collected per 1000 population”.

According to recent census of about 45 million people, NBTS need to collect at least 450,000 units of whole blood per year to meet country demand, Dr Mhando said that “it was important for NBTS to determine exactly blood consumption, collection demand and needs for all transfusion facilities including government, private and faith base”.

The study findings shows that infectious disease were major cause of anemia requiring blood transfusion in both adults and children while malaria accounted for majority of blood transfusion in adults (52%). Maternal hemorrhage was the leading cause of anemia in pregnant women (73%).  Study findings shows that estimate annually blood demand nationally is 278,372 units which is base on blood transfusion request at all the transfusion hospitals in mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar,” she said.

She added that study is complete; data analysis has been done, it is important to share the findings with various stakeholders from different institutions to get their inputs and that responsible authority to implement some of the recommendations from the study to improve blood transfusion practices in the country.