Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read
22 October 2023 | 22:07 CAT

The SANBS will hold a national enhanced blood drive to compensate for closures on November 5 and 6. Photo: Kirill Dratsevich on Pexels.

The South African National Blood Service is entering a new stage as they are going digital. This is to improve the donor experience at blood donation sites nationwide.

With less than a percentage of South Africans actively donating blood, SANBS says it is committed to enhancing blood donation processes and attracting new donors, particularly the youth, to bolster the blood donor pool.

While many important factors led the Blood Service to join the digital age, External Communication Specialist, South African National Blood Service, Khensani Mahlangu told Radio Islam International, “everything is improving and changing with technology, so we wanted to ensure that our systems matched all the technology that was infused into our research and testing systems.”

In preparation for the digitalisation and to address the critical need for blood donations, SANBS will host enhanced blood donation drives nationally from October 16 to November 3.

These drives aim to maintain adequate blood stocks in the run-up to the temporary closure of donation sites on November 5 and 6, when SANBS will prepare its back-end system to introduce the digital medical questionnaire at all donation sites.

“The SANBS is moving towards digitalisation because we understand that to attract and inspire a new generation of donors, we need to leverage the power of technology.

“Digitalising the donation sites will ensure operational efficiencies and streamline SANBS’ administration processes by using modern customer relationship management systems to ensure donors enjoy an optimised experience,” said Siemi Prithvi-Raj, the SANBS executive for transfusion donor services and marketing.

“The automated questionnaire will further assist in flagging potential issues in real-time, ensuring improved donor and blood safety,” Raj said.

This move will improve SANBS’ blood collection and management efficiency and enhance the donor experience overall.

To be eligible to donate blood, one must be between the ages of 16 and 75, weigh more than 50kg and be in good health.

Listen to the full interview on The Daily Round-Up with Moulana Junaid Kharsany.