LifeBlood Sierra Leone

LifeBlood is a system that promotes the availability of blood in Sierra Leone Blood banks.
It is three in one system;
The Administrator; (Ministry of Health & Sanitation)
The Facility (Hospitals)
The Community
It contains features for Blood Group Tests; Blood Donations and Frequently asked eligibility questions as most people can donate blood, but some can't for health or lifestyle reasons.
The System will be built using both USSD and Mobile technologies to cater to each and every Sierra Leonean.
Sierra Leoneans with or without smartphones can easily access Life Blood with or without the internet.
Life Blood uses the same form fields as other blood bank facilities in Sierra Leone hence the integration is easy.
As a donor schedules his appointment all his details will be sent to the facility immediately creating a digital health experience.
Life Blood also at the facility level will digitalise the data of all facilities making the blood donation experience trackable, easy, and safe.
Life Blood at the community level gives blood education, creates a platform for blood donation, gives live blood updates, and connects people from different blood groups.
The connection is important as certain blood groups are very delicate (O Negative only receives from O negative).
Blood Education is key in order to inform Sierra Leoneans about the risk factors concerning their blood type (O-positive man should be advised strongly against marrying an O-negative woman will lead to Erythroblastosis Type AB and B blood are at greater risk of Heart Disease; Type A, B or AB are at higher risk for stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer; Type AB are at higher risk of memory problems)
Introduction
Our body has billions of cells that need a regular supply of fuel and oxygen to function.
Blood meets these requirements by delivering essential substances like nutrients and oxygen to the cells of the body and ensuring its proper functioning, thus, also making sure that our body keeps in good health.
It might interest you that an average adult human body has about five liters of blood.
Having said that, it is anybodys guess, we can't live without blood.
Without blood, we couldn't keep warm or cool off, we couldn't fight infections, and we couldn't get rid of our own waste products.
While the need for blood is universal, access to blood for those who need it is sadly not.
For too many patients around the world whose survival depends on blood transfusion, blood transfusion is either not available or not safe.
Every two seconds of every day, someone needs blood.
The reasons for transfusion vary, but the demand for blood is ever-present and growing.
Since blood cannot be manufactured outside the body and has a limited shelf life, the supply must constantly be replenished by generous blood donors.
Problem
According to the most recent UN Data, Sierra Leone has one of the worlds highest maternal mortality ratios at 1360 deaths per 100,000 babies born (UN, 2015).
Based on these figures, it is estimated that up to 6% of women in Sierra Leone will die as a result of maternal causes during their reproductive life.
Hemorrhage due to blood loss is the main cause of maternal deaths worldwide, accounting for 44% of maternal death in sub-Saharan Africa.
According to the Ministry of Health, the country faces a severe shortage of blood with potentially severe implications for a country battling an epidemic of maternal and infant mortality and high rates of death due to road accidents, among other life-threatening issues.
People lose their lives because of lack of access to blood.
This is especially true for women who have difficulties in childbirth and sick children, but also for people who are in road accidents and other emergencies
Prof.
Sahr Gevao
(Consultant Haematologist, Department of Haematology,
College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences;
Laboratory Pillar Lead, NaCOVERC)

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