Mzuzu MBTS’s Club 25 urges youths to donate blood
Malawi Blood Transfusion Services (MBTS) has expressed the need for youths in the country to continue donating blood, saying the country’s hospitals continue experiencing persistent blood shortage.
MBTS Senior Public Relations Officer for the Northern Region, Mphatso Bazale, said on Friday when he led a group of 25 blood donating young people, known as Club 25, in a cleaning exercise at Mzuzu Central Hospital’s pediatric and Tuberculosis wards.
Bazale, who is also patron of the club, said the gesture was one way of sensitizing youths on the advantages of donating blood.
He observed that when schools are on holiday, MBTS suffers a lot as a majority of blood donors are students.
“We usually have more blood during school times, but when schools are closed the situation worsens because blood becomes scarce in hospitals, and this is very challenging considering that blood in hospitals is needed at all times.
“So the point is to encourage the youths through their fellow youths who are already blood donors, to participate in donating blood exercise all year round,” said Bazale.
Mzuzu Central Hospital Midwife, Rose Msuku, expressed satisfaction on the development, saying it shows that there is future in saving people’s lives through donating blood.
“It’s the youths who can make a change and this shows we are going forward in changing lives. We want to encourage the youths to continue to donate blood because they are the strong ones,” she said.
In his remarks, Club 25 General Secretary, Francis Ngwira, said they (Club 25) are there to help and encourage their fellow youths to make a change in serving people’s lives.
