By McLloyd Kudzingo
The Malawi Blood Transfusion Service (MBTS) closes the financial year 2023/2024 with a bang, having exceeded the set national target for blood collection. MBTS, for the first time, has managed to collect a total of 122,428 units of whole blood, beating its own record set of 110,000. The target has been achieved through outstanding nationwide cooperation and the generosity of the donors, stakeholders, and staff.
The achievement has demonstrated a collaborative effort with a remarkable increase in donor turnout and community participation nationwide. MBTS Chief Executive Officer, Natasha Nsamala has praised efforts by MBTS staff, blood donors, partners and stakeholders (traditional leaders, faith leaders, school management, and corporate organizations) for supporting the organization to achieve
its goal. The target was quite ambitious, but it has impressively been achieved with 112 percent, marking a significant increase from last year’s total.
The support that MBTS receives cannot go unnoticed, as it has helped the organization to improve tremendously in its operations. Nsamala hailed MBTS staff for their resilience, even when the organization sails through difficult times. “I just want to say congratulations to you all for exceeding the target yet again this year. Thank you so much for your unwavering dedication. Sometimes we go through difficult times as an organization, but you always rise to the occasion, ” she said.
She further said, “It has been very gratifying to see our altruistic blood donors give blood not just once but regularly. For the first time, this elusive target has been exceeded, and many lives have been saved in the hospitals. We thank God, our donors, and the very hard working staff of MBTS”.
The year 2024/2025 MBTS focuses on converting first-time donors into regular donors. Hence, all blood donors are encouraged to donate blood regularly to increase the supply of blood in hospitals nationwide.
For the second successive year, MBTS has managed to exceed its annual target, having achieved 104 percent in the 2022–23 financial year.
