Bamenda in need of blood as the crisis drains many
On June 14, 2023, health staff of the blood bank unit of the Bamenda regional hospital could barely sit as persons trooped in to perform a philanthropic gesture.
Men and women within the 20-40 age range after performing tests, all queued to complete the blood extraction process. Some are coming in for the first time like Lum and Cyril “We are coming in for the first time. It is true that there’s some fear but we are doing it for our brothers.”
The blood bank of the Bamenda regional hospital is running below capacity with less than a hundred sacks for a 600-unit store “The situation of our blood bank is really not good and we are unable to satisfy the needs of the population… We have a capacity of 600 units but due to the crisis, we have not been able to do outdoor extractions and now we have less than 100 sacks in stock. Some months we could have a demand for blood of about 250 sacks. How do we handle this?” Dr. Denis Nsame director of the Bamenda regional hospital told reporters.
The health structure has a blood list of some 250 voluntary donors who have been giving blood for about 3-20 years. Leonard Fonyuy is one of them “I have been giving blood in the Bamenda regional hospital for 9 years. I do that every 3 months and I must confess I am elated to know that thanks to my freewill, many are saved”
Another donor Fru Ngang Tangie, draws from his misfortune to become a philanthropist” I had accident years back on a football field in Douala. I was lucky to receive 2 blood sacks from 2 different hospitals… Since then, I made it a duty to donate blood”
Since the start of the socio-political unrest in the North West region of Cameroon, medics say, accessing blood has been very challenging “It is very unsafe to visit some communities now thus we have reduced our outdoor blood donation campaigns. Now we wait for donors in the hospital or do outreach to safe communities with the ambulance, “ Dr. Denis Nsame director of the Bamenda regional hospital lamented.
On world blood donor day 2023, voluntary donors of the Bamenda regional hospital were awarded attestation for their participation in saving lives in the crisis-hit region.
