Mzuzu MBTS blood bank runs dry following accident

Following last Friday night’s accident that claimed 15 lives in Mzuzu,  Malawi Blood Transfusion Service (MBTS) blood banks have run dry, leaving MBTS panicking  as more blood is needed to help patients in the region.

MBTS Mzuzu branch, which carters for the whole northern region supplies about 80 pints of blood in all the region’s hospitals each day, but the accident forced the institution to supply 75 pints of blood to Mzuzu Central Hospital alone to assist the 30 people who were injured in the accident.

MBTS assistant senior public relations officer (Mzuzu) Mphatso Bazale on confirmed that the blood banks which cater for the whole Northern region had been depleted following the accident.

Considering the gravity of the accident, Bazale said MBTS was also forced to release contingency unit–40 pints of blood kept for very critical situations which was part of the 75 pints.

Bazale, who at the time of the interview was part of a team collecting blood in Mzimba rural to replenish the blood banks said  for MCH to attend to the victims,  MBTS released 75 pints of blood while on a normal day MBTS is supposed to release  about 80 pints to all hospitals in the region.

“We cater for the whole region and per day we supply about 80 pints  for the hospitals in the region. However the Friday accident forced us to release 75 pints only for Mzuzu Central Hospital. The hospital needed more blood to attend to the victims.

“We really need blood at the moment to serve the hospitals. As we are talking, I am in Mzimba where we are at a village collecting blood. We are calling on people in the region especially those in Mzuzu to go and donate blood.

The organization has since called on the public to intensify blood donation so as to refill the blood banks to save lives.