Somalia Inaugurates National Blood Bank

The government of Somalia reopened the Somali National Blood Bank for the first time in more than 30 years on Saturday. Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre led an inauguration ceremony attended by dignitaries, health officials and representatives from the United Nations and World Health Organization (WHO).

At the event, Barre commended the partnership between the Somali Ministry of Health and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in establishing a national blood bank, stating the blood bank is a major milestone in efforts to provide safe and reliable blood products to those in need. He also requested the support of the international community to operationalize the facility.

The blood bank is located at Banadir Hospital in Mogadishu, the East African country’s capital city, and has a capacity to store 6,500 units of donated blood at any given time. It is equipped with state-of-the-art technology for screening, preparation and secure storage of blood and blood products.

The new facility is the result of a partnership between the government of Somalia, the UNFPA, United Nations Office for Project Services, WHO and the governments of Finland, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland.