BUISNESS OF BLOOD IN SENEGAL

Why Senegalese afraid to give blood?

The sale or the "business" of blood in hospitals Senegalese fueling debates in some circles in Dakar. True or false? We asked the Director of the Centre for Blood Transfusion (CNTS), Professor Fallou Diop, on the sidelines of the ceremony of blood donation organized by the women of the AFP last March 8.

Selling blood? The debate over the sale of blood donors in hospitals Senegalese rages. If some Senegalese are still reluctant to donate blood to save lives, it is now in Senegal, there are persistent reports of the sale of blood in hospitals. A situation that leads many Senegalese to refrain from donating blood. This leads to a deficiency of the vital fluid screaming in hospitals of the country. Faced with this situation, the Director of the Centre for Blood Transfusion, Prof. Diop Fallou held to clarify this question. Questioned on the subject Professor Diop, denied outright any idea of ​​selling blood to hospitals in Senegal: "It was clearly identified that all patients who are in public facilities do not buy blood. The product is free in all public facilities, "explained the Director of CNTS. Better information he: "We made inquiries as to why people refuse to donate blood. In general, the answer we have is not because health facilities sell blood, "he said. What is rightfully ours, according to Professor Diop is that "people do not know the donation. They think that giving blood, they can get sick. They can lose weight, they may be anemic. " While Professor Diop says: "There is a valid medical examination blood donation before the levy is made." The other reason according to the director of CNTs, is economic: "For economic reasons, people who go to work every day, do not have time to come to the center to give blood." This constraint, he said, the center tries to manage by organizing collections in certain structures to facilitate their access to blood donation. "We also built stations nearby, this is the meaning of the construction of the donation to the hospital King Baudouin. We will make such posts Pikine, the plots Assainies and Rufisque. " Senegal, according to the Director of CNTS, "women represent 80% of people who receive blood. This means that when you get involved in blood donation, we mean for women. " Unfortunately, Professor Diop noted, "there is a quarter of blood donors are women. This means that there is an awareness among women to make dédramatisent they act. They understand that this is an act of civic and citizen, but that has no medical consequence. " To reassure them, the Director of CNTS, explains the process: "Before giving blood, there is a doctor who consults to see if you are able to do this act. There is no risk to the donor. This is an activity that is noble. In all countries, the understanding that women should be involved in blood donation should be extended. " The strategy for the Ministry of Health, he argues, was to work so that in all 14 regions of Senegal, there are transmission structures. " A strategy that seems to have paid off. Since, believe, Professor Fallou Diop, "there are blood banks in all regional capitals". According to the Director of CNTS, "donating blood is an act of solidarity and justice. It is not known whether giving blood, we will need tomorrow. "
Statistics. (53 000 donations in 2012) Despite the fright of some Senegalese gave their blood to save lives, there is a glimmer of hope in the statistics on trends in blood donation in Senegal. According to Professor Fallou Diop, there is an increase in the number of blood donors in Senegal since a decade. "Last year, there were 53 000 donations in the country. If we consider only the CNTs, we had 24,000 donations last year. This means that blood donations which are to CNTs, are half the donation is done in the country. There is a steady increase over the past ten years. The last six years, the number of blood donors in Dakar has doubled "ensures Professor Diop. This is made possible, he admits, thanks to the actions of public awareness, media, opinion leaders. Both national statistics are good, as international standards including the World Health Organization (WHO), Senegal dragging its feet: "We are lagging behind in many gift to be Senegal. The Oms demand for every thousand inhabitants, it takes 10 blood donations. In Senegal, for every thousand inhabitants was 4.5 blood donations. That is to say, we have to multiply 2.5 times the current number to satisfy our need for blood products "he says. Work hard to kill: "We've got work to do. No action is too much to raise awareness and to facilitate access to the gift. For anyone who wants to donate blood can do. Either that moves people, or that organizes schedules that can enable them to give blood, "considering Professor Diop.