Blood donation can be such a noble exercise to those who understand its importance.

The fact that it saves life makes it so capital, yet many are unaware of the significance of the act. The recent move to mobilise partners in creating blood banks in the country, given the large deficit, is laudable. However, there are often serious setbacks to the endeavour.
One of the fallacies that surround blood donation is that blood is sold in hospitals.

This is so because people are often asked to provide donors once they have patients that require same for treatment. Again, medical experts talk of cost involved in treating pints of blood left in hospital blood banks. Families ask to pay any money in relation to blood donation generally equate this to charges for the blood that is given to their patient. Some generalised nefarious malpractices in our hospitals do not usually go down well for those interested or solicited to donate blood in hospitals. Often, some malpractices in hospitals cannot encourage those interested in helping donate blood.

Added to the cocktail is the poor behaviour of some members of society who solicit donors and never as much as go back to thank those who were kind enough to offer vital blood for their patients, even if it did not save their lives! By communicating regularly on the use that hospitals make of the blood received from well-wishers and creating incentives for those who willingly give out their blood could mean much if blood banks are sustained. Moreover, there are certainly health situations that those who give blood regularly could avoid because they are obliged to undergo medical tests.

Of late, some diplomatic services organised blood donation sessions in Yaounde to create public awareness on the need for the exercise. Initiatives of this nature have to be encouraged and they also need to occur more often so that people who are less informed should be able to take turns spontaneously and help health care units to have enough blood that can cater for the many cases of accidents and other illnesses that call for blood transfusion.

Over the years, there have been timid public announcements calling on those physically fit to go to certain hospitals and donate blood. But it is doubtful if such efforts have often attracted much positive response from the public. Yet, no one can afford to give up such noble initiatives because the life-saving contribution that it has on society. It is so indispensable and stakeholders in the public health sector certainly have an uphill task in creating awareness so that people can readily show up once there are appeals for blood donation in any hospital.