By Katusiime Kellen
Airtel Uganda has joined hands with Uganda Blood Transfusion Services (UBTS) to mobilize the public to donate blood in a 4-day campaign.
Airtel and UBTS have set up six centres within Kampala and its suburbs to
enhance their ‘Be Red Campaign’ which targets to raise over 4,000 units of
blood.
Speaking to the press at their Head Offices in Kampala on Monday, Airtel Uganda Managing Director, Anwar Soussa urged Ugandans to join the Airtel campaign by donating blood.
“By donating blood, we will be able to save lives, a number of centres
have been set up from 12th – 17th June. Airtel has been setting up
free medical camps after every quarter,” Soussa said.
He added that at least the public should work at raising more than
80,000 units per year. The six centres include Constitution Square, Mukwano
mall, Kikuubo and Kalerwe among others
As part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives, Soussa said Airtel has made it an annual endeavour to do blood donation drives
since they launched the ‘Be Red Campaign’ – an acronym Be Responsible,
Empathetic and Do it, with aim of educating the of educating the
public about the blood shortage in the country a few years ago.
Dr. Dorothy Kyeyune Byabazaire, the Director, Uganda Blood Transfusion
service said that 80% of blood donated in Uganda is collected from
secondary schools and yet it is those Ugandans outside of the schools
who use the blood transfusion services most.
“… We need blood every day, every minute and second to save the lives of children suffering from malaria,” she said
According to Dr. Kyeyune the main challenge the public left
the responsibility of donating blood to school children and during
holidays, the UBTS faces blood crisis yet the expiration time is only
35 days.
