To efficiently carry out daunting mission: National Blood Transfusion Service begs Biya to up its budget.

The NBTS members have pleaded with the Head of State, Paul Biya, to see that the annual budget allocated to the institution is significantly increased to enable it efficiently carry out its daunting task.

They made the appeal at the end of their 7^th Ordinary Session held in Yaounde, Thursday. The session was presided over by the Chairperson of the NBTS Management Committee, Prof Tetanye Ekoe.

Speaking to press at the end of the Board meeting, Prof Tetanye said the meeting was intended to discuss the budget of NBTS which is grossly insufficient for it to carry its missions to ensure safe blood is readily available to everyone in Cameroon. 

“With very limited funds, it’s very difficult to assume and accomplish that mission successfully,” he stated. 

With an annual budget of 900 million FCFA, Prof Tetanye stated that the structure faces immense challenges. He mentioned challenges handling the salary of workers, training of personnel, promotional campaigns, and ensuring smooth monitoring of the 479 blood banks in the country.

“We are unable to carry out all the activities that can enable NBTS to control what happens in 479 blood banks in the country with a budget allocated to us which is largely insufficient,” he insisted.

Prof Tetanye appealed to the financial and technical supervisory bodies for something to be done so that NBTS can fully perform its role and not just rely on the promotion of voluntary blood donation from the population.

An increase in the budget, Prof Tetanye added, will also help the institution to monitor activities that ensure blood distributed to all the blood banks in this country are safe and meet international norms. 

He said the annual budget allocated to NBTS is drastically low compared to other countries of the sub region, even with less national blood demand. 

Going by Prof Tetanye, unlike Cameroon with a population of close to 30 million, Benin with barely 13 million citizens, allocates a functioning budget of 5 billion FCFA for its NBTS. 

He further cited Cote D’Ivoire and Senegal as countries that have assigned budgets of 15 billion FCFA and 10 billion FCFA respectively, for the purpose. 

“This means that comparatively with other countries of the sub region, our country cannot boast of being amongst the ‘Indomitable Lions’ or leaders of the continent,” he stressed.  

Annual national blood demands estimated at 400,000 pints

According to the General Manager of NBTS, Prof Dora Mbanya, the national blood demand is estimated at about 400,000 pints annually. 

With significant budgetary limitation, she said they find it very challenging to function smoothly.

She said this limits them from missions like training of blood collectors, promoting blood donation and marketing campaigns amongst others. 

While noting that data on the amount of blood collected nationally in 2024 is yet to collated, she said 158,481 blood pints were collected in 2023, which represent just nearly 40% of national needs. 

Also, 147,034 pints were mobilised in 2022, up from the 140,850 pints in 2021. 

“This shows that the population needs to be doing a little more; we too need to be doing a little more in sensitising and educating them because there are still many believes and myths about blood donations which have to be broken,” Prof Mbanya told reporters. 

For this year 2025, she averred that they intend to continue intensifying education and sensitisation programmes so that the population can understand the importance of donating blood. 

Reiterating the need for voluntary blood donation, Prof Mbanya said: “When you haven’t been in a situation where you realise that only blood will save your life, then you would understand the need to donate blood. Blood cannot be fabricated in laboratory and science has not yet succeeded in that and so when you need blood, you either get blood or you die”.  

Faced with budget constraints and a daunting mission to be accomplished, the NBTS General Manager asserted their plan to source for funding internally and externally. 

“We will do what we are supposed to do like training blood collectors to do their work appropriately, those who have to promote blood donation, marketing and all. But even training people sometimes need resources. So, we will try to look for funds left, right or centre but they say charity begins at home,” she added. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3362 of Friday February 7, 2025