The government of Somalia has kicked off the construction of national blood bank facility for the first time in three decades.The government is committed to enhance the delivery of essential services to the Somali people through the implementation of responsive and proactive policy initiatives.
According to the Prime Minister of Somalia, Hassan Ali Khaire, the project will be implemented through a partnership between the government and willing development partners. “Establishing a blood bank will become more urgent given our context, as it mitigates deaths as a result of bleeding. Providing reliable blood transfusion services will be fundamental to our health sector reform. The fact that the country has no blood bank, and that we have seen patients dying because of loss of blood including children, gunshot patients and pregnant women makes this an important project,” he added.
Benefits
Upon completion, the project will ease dire blood shortages in the country. Phase I of the project is anticipated to store 10,000 units of blood. The blood bank project will also improve health outcomes, particularly for those with anemia, trauma, and pregnancy-related issues. The project will also expand opportunities to test and treat diseases in Somalia.
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The launch of the project will be a key milestone for the Social Development Road map and coincides with the second anniversary since the infamous 14 October 2017 truck bombings in Mogadishu in which led to hundreds of people losing their lives, many due to severe loss of blood where around 587 people killed and other 316 injured during the bombing attack.
