The Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) 3 Infantry Division, in partnership with the Moroto Blood Bank, has conducted a one-day blood donation drive aimed at boosting blood stocks in the Karamoja sub-region.
The exercise was organised to address persistent shortages and ensure a steady supply for health facilities across the region.
The Acting Division Medical Officer, Second Lieutenant Lambert Ojala, said the Moroto Blood Bank supports 10 transfusion facilities, making consistent collection critical to meeting demand. He said that the Moroto Sector Field Hospital handles an average of five patients per month in its maternity and paediatric wards, in addition to accident victims who often require urgent transfusions.
Lt Ojala urged officers and militants to embrace blood donation as a routine practice, emphasising its life-saving impact. He added that donors benefit from free screening for conditions such as HIV and syphilis, and also learn their blood group, information that can support future medical care.
Ms Sofia Nakwashi, a nursing officer at Moroto Blood Bank and team leader for the drive, said the facility serves all nine districts in the Karamoja sub-region.
Ms Nakwashi, however, raised concern over negative attitudes towards blood donation within some communities, attributing this partly to misinformation spread by certain opinion leaders. She said the challenge is more pronounced during school holidays, when donations tend to decline significantly.
To bridge the gap, the blood bank has intensified community outreach through sensitisation campaigns and radio programmes.
Among the participants was Staff Sergeant Char Dan, an ideology and leadership trainee from the Uniform Battalion, who donated blood for the first time. He said the experience helped him overcome initial fears and pledged to donate regularly.
Senior officers, including Commanding Officer 3CIT Maj Apollo Tushabe and Commanding Officer 99 Battalion Maj Mugenyi, also took part in the exercise.
