Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Availability of blood for transfusion in maternity units in Malawi

2008; Volume: 7; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.5580/d12

1539-4646

Hemoglobinopathies and Related Disorders

Objective: To assess the availability of blood for transfusion in Malawi and explore the challenges facing the current dual system of blood supply. Methods: A survey of 8 hospitals in three districts in Malawi. Results: Malawi Blood Transfusion Service (MBTS) provides two-third (66.7%) of the blood used by hospitals, and the decentralised hospital-based system provides the rest of the one-third. Hospitals test blood for HIV, hepatitis B virus, and syphilis, but unlike the MBTS do not routinely test for malaria and hepatitis C. The major challenges facing this dual system include poor communication, inadequate knowledge of the availability and clinical use of blood, difficulties recruiting and retaining donors, difficulties distributing blood, high prevalence of HIV and costs of running the two systems. Conclusions: Neither a centralised model nor a hospital-based model is optimal for Malawi and countries with similar socioeconomic profiles. Source of funding: The Health Foundation, UK