Cancer Institute faces blood crisis
Dar es Salaam. The Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI) says it is facing a critical shortage of blood that is adversely affecting cancer treatment. The ORCI acting director for Treatment Services, Dr Mark Mseti, said the hospital’s requirement for blood is huge because radiation treatment requires patients to have enough blood for the treatment to work effectively.
“We require 40 to 50 units of blood on a daily basis - and there are days when the country’s National Plan for Safe Blood allocates enough blood of up to 40 to 50 units that makes our work easier. But, for the past two weeks, we have been facing a critical shortage, only getting 20 units of blood a day, which is not enough,” he said.
The Cancer Institute provides cancer treatment programmes intended to completely cure or significantly prolong the life of patients undergoing treatment sessions at the hospital.
However, in a bid to tackle the challenge, NMB workers donated at least
97 units of blood for the hospital. NMB Zonal Manager for Dar es Salaam,
Mr Badru Idd said the decision to donate blood is in line with the bank's corporate social responsibility which demands them to give back to the communities.
"Lack of blood slows the treatment progress, I believe that the situation can be improved if the members of
the public will donate even a little of their blood to our brothers and sisters suffering from cancer. This will help them get better treatment," he said.
Mr Badru pointed out one of the reasons for the bank's initiative is to encourage others in the country to see the importance of donating blood and thus save lives.
