Africa has recorded a significant progress at the available and safe blood in hospitals over the last 10 years but there was still much room for improvement, according to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The number of blood donations in the region increased to more than 3.7 million units in the year 2012, representing some 45 percent of the amount of blood and blood products the countries need each year, according to a statement issued in Luanda by regional director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Africa, Luis Sambo, to mark the World Donor's Day, which falls on June 14.
The progress was attributed to increasing awareness of people on the vital need of safe blood and its products to save lives of patients, especially for women who suffer from bleeding during delivery or in the postpartum period, according to the statement.
Currently one out of 38 women die from complications related to pregnancy, mainly due to the lack of blood or infected blood during transfusion in Africa as against one out of 3,700 dies from the same causes in other parts of the world, the WHO official said.
According to him, the blood collection through voluntary and unpaid donation under organized systems of donor recruitment proved to be safer and more effective than the donation conducted in hospital by family members.
Despite the progress, the number of units collected remains insufficient compared to the needs of patients, mainly in rural areas where there is a high level of maternal deaths in Africa, the official said.