The Chief Medical Officer of the health district (MCD) of Zorgho, Dr Delphin Kaboré, launched a blood collection campaign on July 22, 2024 at the Health and Social Promotion Center (CSPS) of Boudry. This initiative, supported by the Sanbrado Mining Company (SOMISA), aims to collect 1,000 blood bags during the winter season in order to meet the urgent needs for blood products, exacerbated by cases of malaria, dengue fever and complicated deliveries.
According to the Chief Medical Officer of the Zorgho Health District (MCD), Dr Delphin Kaboré, for three years, the Zorgho hospital has been evacuating three to four patients daily to higher health structures. According to him, 75 to 80% of these evacuations are due to a lack of labile blood products.
To address this, the Zorgho health district is organizing one-off blood drives in gathering places such as mosques, churches and schools. ‘As the students, the main blood providers, are currently on vacation, the situation is becoming more and more difficult to mana
ge,’ explains Dr Kaboré. In addition, according to him, the district is struggling to cover the cost of the snack offered to donors after blood collection.
To overcome these challenges, Dr. Kaboré turned to the Sanbrado Mines Corporation (SOMISA) for support.
‘SOMISA responded favorably to our call by agreeing to cover the cost of feeding 1,000 blood donors for this winter season,’ he explained.
With this crucial support, he hopes to significantly reduce the number of evacuations and better manage severe cases of malaria and complicated deliveries.
SOMISA Director of Community Relations, Assane Ouédraogo, highlighted the mining company’s commitment to community health initiatives.
‘We responded favorably to the request from the MCD of Zorgho because we understand the urgency of the situation, especially in this rainy season conducive to malaria… At the appropriate time, we will request the collaboration of the health district for a blood collection operation at the within the mine,’ he said.
During th
e launch, Mr. Ouédraogo and agents from the mine’s community relations department joined the population to donate blood. Thus, 43 blood bags were then collected.
A blood donor from the community, Latifatou Kaboré, shared her motivation: ‘I gave my blood to save lives, particularly those of women in childbirth and children anemic by malaria.’
She is committed to educating other women to do the same.
The blood collection campaign will extend in the coming weeks to other areas such as Boéna, Wayalgui, Nédogo, Mogtédo, Méguet and Zorgho.
Given the lifespan of the blood collected, Dr Kaboré plans to gradually collect the 1000 bags to get through the winter season.
He then called for a massive mobilization of the population capable of donating blood and recalled the importance of means of malaria prevention, in particular the use of impregnated mosquito nets and the taking of drugs during the seasonal chemotherapy campaign which will begin. Soon.
Source: Burkina Information Agency