South African National Blood Services is going digital

The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) is going digital to improve the donor experience at blood donation sites nationwide.

With less than 1% of South Africans actively donating blood, SANBS is committed to enhancing blood donation processes and attracting new donors, particularly youth, to bolster the blood donor pool.

In preparation for the digitalization of the donor experience and addressing the critical need for blood donations, SANBS will host enhanced blood donation drives nationally from October 16 to November 3, 2023.

These blood donation drives aim to maintain adequate blood stocks in the run-up to the temporary closure of donation sites on November 5 and 6, 2023, when SANBS will prepare its back-end system to introduce the digital medical questionnaire at all donation sites.

To further ensure that donors can give the gift of life at their convenience, during the enhanced donation period, SANBS will extend operating hours until 19:00 at all donation sites on weekdays and weekends.

“SANBS is moving towards digitalization as we understand that to attract and inspire a new generation of donors, we need to leverage the power of technology. Digitalizing donation sites will ensure operational efficiencies and streamline SANBS’ administration processes by using modern customer relationship management systems to ensure donors enjoy an optimized experience,” said Siemi Prithvi-Raj, 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,” Prithvi-Raj added.

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

“The introduction of the digital medical questionnaire at donation sites highlights our commitment to not only go paperless across our business but also to continuously innovate and become an organization whose operational processes are as sophisticated as our medical technology, said Ravi Reddy, CEO at SANBS.”

Mr. Reddy added that “donors need to present for their first donation post-November 7 with their IDs and prepare to have their photo taken, which is required for the new donor profiles. Donors will be verified on the system.”

The medical questionnaire will now be completed on a tablet or kiosk station, followed by the compulsory medical assessment, where donors will provide a signature on a digital device.

This is only the beginning of SANBS’ digitalisation journey and involves taking the first giant step in the right direction. Donors are encouraged to plan their upcoming donations around the scheduled downtime on November 5 and 6, 2023.

“We encourage donors, especially the youth of South Africa, to help us make this a smooth transition by getting behind the enhanced donation drives and donating in their numbers. Bring a friend, colleague, or even neighbor along to your next donation and help us to ensure ample blood stocks ahead of the two-day downtime planned for November,” Reddy concluded.

Join countless selfless individuals in making a life-saving donation during this enhanced blood donation period.

To be eligible to donate blood, one must be between the ages of 16 and 75, weigh more than 50 kg, and be in good health. If you meet these requirements, find your nearest donation site by visiting the Donor Center map on the SANBS website or contacting 0800 11 9031 and following SANBS on its official social media platforms: Twitter (@theSANBS), Facebook (@SANBS), and Instagram (@thesanbs).

About SANBS

The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) is an independent non-profit organization and one of the leaders in the discipline of blood transfusion. SANBS operates in eight out of the nine provinces in South Africa (except the Western Cape, where the Western Cape Blood Service operates). It also provides crucial support to countries in the SADC region.

 SANBS supplies over one million blood products annually and is rated among the top blood services in the world. This pedigree comes from world-class testing and blood donation protocols, which ensure that the transfused blood is always of top quality.

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