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There are details and then there are DETAILS! Blood supply is a constant challenge in Tanzania. As a result, medical facilities, like ours, must have emergency plans in place for necessary transfusions. We’ve recently been given permission to collect, screen and store blood on campus for emergency surgical situations. With a “scheduled” delivery on the calendar, we want to be ready for any and all eventualities.
One of our Lab Technicians has the same blood type as the pregnant “mama” who wants to be the first to deliver her baby at FAME. Learning this, he volunteered to be our first donor. Lab Tech, Anthony, oversaw the process with Dr. Joyce and Fatuma looking on. Once complete, the blood was screened and put into the special fridge to be stored at the appropriate temperature. Hopefully, we won’t need it, but it’s comforting to know it is there if we do. We plan on typing volunteers and other staff so we have a ready blood supply when we need it for emergencies.