By Desire Ayebaziibwe,
KAMPALA:
The Uganda Blood Transfusion Services has banned collection of blood from drunkards and donors with multiple sexual partners in the country.
According to Samuel Davis Wante, the clinical team leader Nakasero Blood Bank, the ban is because of the cost incurred by the country in cleaning up the blood collected from these groups of people.
He revealed that they are finding it too costly to process blood from both male and female prostitutes and drunkards so that it can be transfused for patients. Wante argues that the groups are exposed to transfusable diseases found in blood such as HIV, Syphilis, Hepatitis B and C among others.
Asked how they can identify a prostitute and whether people in polygamous marriages are affected, he said their research among polygamous marriages especially Muslims, shows that such people are faithful unlike prostitutes.
He explained that they tightened the criteria for selecting blood donors because it costs $80 to process a unit of blood and if several contaminated units are collected, it means the money to process it has gone to waste.
