Rotary Uganda is looking to raise US$500,000 towards the equipping of the Rotary Blood Bank at Mengo Hospital. Funds from the concert, featuring jazz renowned saxophonist Kirk Whalum, will go towards purchasing equipment, which will enable the facility to test, process and pack safe
blood, buy consumables and to also purchase a fully equipped mobile blood bank to transport blood safely.
The concert dubbed ‘Kirk Whalum Live’ will take place on Thursday 7th March atKampala Serena Hotel.
Kirk Whalum is an American jazz saxophonist and songwriter. He has recorded a series of
Sponsors for the concert and the second phase of the Blood Bank include Stanbic Bank and MTN Uganda, which will have each contributed Ushs 75 million, The Vision Group and the Institute of Corporate Governance Uganda.
Announcing the sponsorship package, MTN Uganda CEO Mr. Wim Vanhelleputte applauded Rotary Uganda for addressing this critical need in Uganda’s health sector. “MTN Uganda is delighted to partner with the Rotary Club under the One Drop of Blood initiative, which is geared at ensuring that the constant availability of blood, which is one of the key needs in the area of emergency health treatment, is met. This initiative resonates well with one of the key areas of our corporate social responsibility – health. As a corporate citizen, we are gravely concerned that safe blood supply tends to fall below the required threshold, as highlighted by the World Health Organisation.
We believe that concerted efforts such as this go a long way in complementing the government efforts to ensure constant availability of safe blood for emergency use and health treatment. We
laud Rotary Uganda and fellow sponsors of this great initiative and pledge MTN Uganda’s regular support.” Patrick Mweheire, the Chief Executive of Stanbic Bank Uganda said, “We are pleased to be in partnership with Rotary Uganda in this noble cause as we come together to raise funds to support the equipping and operationalizing Rotary blood bank at Mengo hospital.
We believe in transforming
corporate companies and individual well-wishers to be a part of the cause that will contribute to saving
Robert Kabushenga, the Chief Executive Officer of Vision Group said, “The New Vision is proud to be associated with Rotary Blood Bank in this noble cause. We commit to being the supporting hand for Rotary to lean on whenever they have a need and equipping the blood bank is just one of several initiatives that New Vision has participated in. We hope to see this to fruition.”
Michael
The idea of constructing a Blood Bank at Mengo Hospital was born in 2013/2014 when a number of Rotary Clubs under the leadership of the then District Governor Emmanuel Katongole, set out to build a modern facility to complement the existing National Blood Bank in Nakasero. The total cost of this project was US$ 1,103,000.
The construction of the 800sqm facility cost US$ 856,000. This was funded by local initiatives including fundraising concerts, a Rotary Cancer run
The Rotary Blood Bank was jointly opened by the then Rotary International President John F.Germ and the Right Prime Minister of Uganda Hon. Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda. The facility is fully functional and employs 13 medical practitioners. It operates under the supervision of
Since its establishment on 27th February 2017, approximately 9,647 units of blood have been collected in the Rotary
Currently, the Rotary Blood Bank cannot process blood because it lacks the capacity to test for infections. Additionally, it cannot separate blood into components. The collected blood is stored and sent to at Uganda Blood Transfusion Services for processing and this causes blood shortage in the country due to lack of the processing requirement. Furthermore, there is shortage of consumables like blood bags and blood donation sets, which limit the blood donations from the public.
According to World Health Organization standards (WHO), Uganda needs at least 350,000 units of safe blood annually yet only 250,000 units of blood are collected. This leaves a deficit of approximately 100,000 units of blood annually. This critical blood shortage affects services and puts patients’ lives at risk.
Rotary Uganda is looking to raise US$500,000 towards the equipping of the Rotary Blood Bank at Mengo Hospital. Funds from the concert, featuring jazz renowned saxophonist Kirk Whalum, will go towards purchasing equipment, which will enable the facility to test, process and pack safe blood, buy consumables and to also purchase a fully equipped mobile blood bank to transport blood safely. The concert dubbed ‘Kirk Whalum Live’ will take place on Thursday 7th March at Kampala Serena Hotel.
Kirk Whalum is an American jazz saxophonist and songwriter. He has recorded a series of well- received solo albums and film soundtracks, with music ranging from pop to R&B to smooth jazz. His musical accomplishments have earned him a total of 12 Grammy nominations. Whalum will visit and tour the Rotary Mengo Blood Bank during his Ugandan tour.
Sponsors for the concert and the second phase of the Blood Bank include Stanbic Bank and MTN Uganda, which will have each contributed Ushs 75 million, The Vision Group and the Institute of Corporate Governance Uganda.
Announcing the sponsorship package, MTN Uganda CEO Mr. Wim Vanhelleputte applauded Rotary Uganda for addressing this critical need in Uganda’s health sector. “MTN Uganda is delighted to partner with the Rotary Club under the One Drop of Blood initiative, which is geared at ensuring that the constant availability of blood, which is one of the key needs in the area of emergency health treatment, is met. This initiative resonates well with one of the key areas of our corporate social responsibility – health. As a corporate citizen, we are gravely concerned that safe blood supply tends to fall below the required threshold, as highlighted by the World Health Organisation.
We believe that concerted efforts such as this go a long way in complementing the government efforts to ensure constant availability of safe blood for emergency use and health treatment. We laud Rotary Uganda and fellow sponsors of this great initiative and pledge MTN Uganda’s regular support.”
Patrick Mweheire, the Chief Executive of Stanbic Bank Uganda said, “We are pleased to be in partnership with Rotary Uganda in this noble cause as we come together to raise funds to support the equipping and operationalizing Rotary blood bank at Mengo hospital. We believe in transforming lives of people in our communities through our Corporate Social Investments. We
are therefore proud to support Rotary with a contribution of UGX 75 million which will go towards enhancing the operationalization of the Blood Bank. I would like to encourage more corporate companies and individual well-wishers to be a part of the cause that will contribute to saving lives of many Ugandans.”
Robert Kabushenga, the Chief Executive Officer of Vision Group said, “The New Vision is proud to be associated with Rotary Blood Bank in this noble cause. We commit to being the supporting hand for Rotary to lean on whenever they have a need and equipping the blood bank is just one of several initiatives that New Vision has participated in. We hope to see this to fruition.”
Michael Mugabi, the President of the Institute of Corporate Governance Uganda Council of Members said that the Institute was proud to work with Rotary and the institute’s Corporate Members, Stanbic Bank and MTN who are sponsoring the Kirk Whalum Jazz Concert. “ICGU is taking part, because this event is about “Shared Values”, which is a component of Corporate Governance. Shared Values focus on three key aspects of business; – People, Planet and Profit which address the Social, Ecological and Economic issues that face Humanity. This is what brings all of us together in support of the Mengo Rotary Blood Bank.”
The idea of constructing a Blood Bank at Mengo Hospital was born in 2013/2014 when a number of Rotary Clubs under the leadership of the then District Governor Emmanuel Katongole, set out to build a modern facility to complement the existing National Blood Bank in Nakasero. The total cost of this project was US$ 1,103,000.
The construction of the 800sqm facility cost US$ 856,000. This was funded by local initiatives including fundraising concerts, a Rotary Cancer run and donations from corporate entities, Rotarians and individual well wishers. The sophisticated blood banking equipment and training of the specialized staff cost US$247,000, which was raised from Rotary Clubs both in Uganda and abroad through a Rotary grant.
The Rotary Blood Bank was jointly opened by the then Rotary International President John F. Germ and the Right Prime Minister of Uganda Hon. Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda. The facility is fully functional and employs 13 medical practitioners. It operates under the supervision of Uganda Blood Transfusion Service (UBTS).
Since its establishment on 27th February 2017, approximately 9,647 units of blood have been collected in the Rotary Mengo Blood Bank.
Currently, the Rotary Blood Bank cannot process blood because it lacks the capacity to test for infections. Additionally, it cannot separate blood into components. The collected blood is stored and sent to at Uganda Blood Transfusion Services for processing and this causes blood shortage in the country due to lack of the processing requirement. Furthermore, there is shortage of consumables like blood bags and blood donation sets, which limit the blood donations from the public.
According to World Health Organization standards (WHO), Uganda needs at least 350,000 units of safe blood annually yet only 250,000 units of blood are collected. This leaves a deficit of approximately 100,000 units of blood annually. This critical blood shortage affects services and puts patients’ lives at risk.
