The Malawi Blood Transfusion Service(MBTS) says it is facing a critical blood shortage due to a decline in blood donations across the country.
Speaking during the World Blood Donor Day commemoration at Area 25 Health Centre in Lilongwe on Saturday,MBTS Blood Donor Manager, Mervis Chirwa,said the low turnout is largely attributed to fear and cultural beliefs surrounding blood donation.
She said for the year 2024/25, the target was to collect 130 000 units of blood, but they only collected 112 740 units.
“At the moment, we don’t have stable blood stocks in our national blood bank because many people are still scared to donate blood due to myths and hearsays surrounding blood donation.
“It is mostly the youth, especially those in schools aged 16 to 25 who donate blood and this happens only when schools are in session,” said Chirwa.
She urged the working class to also adopt a culture of blood donation to save lives.
“We are encouraging the working class to be generous and find time to donate blood as well,” added Chirwa.
On his part,Malawi Red Cross Society(MRCS ) Head of Health and Social Services Dan Kapombosola, said their organization is working tirelessly to promote blood donation in local communities by providing essential information and demystifying the blood donation process.
Kapombosola emphasized the importance of collective efforts to ensure a steady blood supply.
World Blood Donor Day is commemorated annually on June 14 to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank blood donors for their voluntary and life-saving gifts of blood.
The first commemoration was held in 2004 by the World Health Organization (WHO ), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Federation of Blood Donor Organisations (IFBDO) and the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT).
According to WHO, the commemoration is also a timely moment to address continued challenges and accelerate progress towards a future where safe blood transfusion is universally accessible.
This year, the day was commemorated under the theme ‘Give blood, give hope: together we can save lives’.
Author Sharon Lashaunze Chirwa has released her second book titled ‘She’s the Steer – A Woman of Power, Influence, and Impact’ that focuses on the importance of leading with purpose and impact.
In an interview with 247 Malawi News,Chirwa,said good leadership is about transforming lives and leaving a lasting impact.
She said the book highlights women leaders who are driving positive change in their communities.
Sharon Lashaunze Chirwa
The author expressed hope that her book will inspire others to take up leadership roles and make a difference.
She also encouraged Malawians to develop a reading and writing culture, emphasizing the importance of writing in preserving knowledge and principles for future generations.
Chirwa said the book is currently available in bookshops and through her directly.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP ) should not look clean now . The party failed to run this nation well for about 14 years. If we talk of fuel scarcity , no government is spared in fuel scarcity.The fuel crisis in Malawi,a country that does not produce its oil is nothing new. The crisis can be traced back to the first post-independence regime of Hastings Kamuzu Banda.
During the Kamuzu era, Malawi faced fuel shortages in the late 1970s and early 1980s due to the Mozambican war, which disturbed supply chains.
Mutharika
When Bakili Muluzi was elected into office in 1994, he faced similar challenges. In 1998, Malawi faced a forex shortage due to the Balance of Payments deficit, and this led to fuel shortages.Bingu Wa Mutharika,founder of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP ) faced criticism in his second term on the basis of violation of human rights,including his stance against homosexuality and refusal to devalue the local currency,Kwacha.This led to the freezing of donor funds and, hence, fuel shortages. In no time, Mutharika’s successor upon his death, Joyce Banda, devalued the Kwacha by almost 50% from K166 per $1 to K250. As expected, donor funding resumed, and the crisis eased.
Talking of security lapse and human rights violations, DPP was on high peakm. For instance security forces killed 20 persons on July 20 and 21 during and after demonstrations against the government in Lilongwe, Blantyre, Mzuzu, and Karonga.
The demonstration was organized to protest President Mutharika and his ruling DPP’s inaction on “poor economic and democratic governance.” An injunction banning public demonstrations throughout the country delayed the start of the protest, but after the injunction was lifted protests went ahead. Only protesters in Blantyre secured last-minute legal permission for the demonstrations. Protests in all cities devolved into violence on July 20, with police firing tear gas and warning shots and disorganized groups destroying property. Civil unrest continued the following day with widespread looting in major cities. In an attempt to restore order, police used tear gas and live bullets. The Malawi Defense Force (MDF) deployed on both July 20 and 21 to quell violence and restore calm. The final death count, including victims who died later from injuries, was 20 persons. None of those who died was a participant in the demonstrations.
On November 30, a commission of inquiry into the events commenced work with several public hearings and another session planned for the northern region in early 2012. The commission has an eight-month window to complete its work. To date, police have admitted using live bullets and the inspector general of the Malawi Police Service (MPS) admitted to mishandling the protests and called for a return of bonuses paid to police who worked during the July unrest.
On September 24, Robert Chasowa, vice president of “Youth for Freedom and Democracy” and a student at the Polytechnic School, was found dead on campus under controversial circumstances. Chasowa was under police watch for the publication of “Political Update,” which was highly critical of the government. Police claimed that he committed suicide by falling from a building, and as evidence, produced two suicide notes. Irregularities in the letters raised suspicions and Chasowa’s family demanded further investigation. A postmortem in October concluded that he died from head injuries sustained from assault by a blunt instrument and not as a result of a fall. A commission of inquiry was to investigate the circumstances surrounding Chasowa’s death, but no one had been named to the panel by year’s end.
Police arbitrarily shot and killed suspects. For example, on December 20, police shot and killed four suspects in Limbe who were trying to escape after allegedly planning to break into a shop. The same night, police also shot and killed a man in Blantyre suspected of attempted robbery. No action reportedly was taken against the police officers responsible.
Police were implicated in the death of several prisoners in custody. For example, in March Emmanuel Kafere died in a police cell at Mulenga police unit in Zomba. A postmortem indicated that Kafere died from internal bleeding after suffering head stab wounds, two broken legs, and a broken arm. The policeman accused of Kafere’s death was charged with murder and appeared in court on March 21. At year’s end, he was being held in pretrial detention and the case was awaiting trial.
On December 4, Kingsley Khope died in Ndirande police’s custody in Blantyre. Family members were denied visitation and demanded a postmortem. Police claimed Khope died on arrival at the hospital after complaining of malaria, but the family accused police of causing the death by assaulting Khope.
Perpetrators of past abuses were occasionally punished, but investigations often were abandoned or remained inconclusive. For instance, there were no further developments in the following 2010 killings: the July shooting death of Silence Kapalamula by a police officer and the September death of a woman and her child, who were struck and killed by a speeding truck driven by a police officer.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP ) should not look clean now . The party failed to run this nation well for about 14 years. If we talk of fuel scarcity , no government is spared in fuel scarcity.The fuel crisis in Malawi,a country that does not produce its oil is nothing new. The crisis can be traced back to the first post-independence regime of Hastings Kamuzu Banda.
During the Kamuzu era, Malawi faced fuel shortages in the late 1970s and early 1980s due to the Mozambican war, which disturbed supply chains.
Mutharika
When Bakili Muluzi was elected into office in 1994, he faced similar challenges. In 1998, Malawi faced a forex shortage due to the Balance of Payments deficit, and this led to fuel shortages.Bingu Wa Mutharika,founder of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP ) faced criticism in his second term on the basis of violation of human rights,including his stance against homosexuality and refusal to devalue the local currency,Kwacha.This led to the freezing of donor funds and, hence, fuel shortages. In no time, Mutharika’s successor upon his death, Joyce Banda, devalued the Kwacha by almost 50% from K166 per $1 to K250. As expected, donor funding resumed, and the crisis eased.
Talking of security lapse and human rights violations, DPP was on high peakm. For instance security forces killed 20 persons on July 20 and 21 during and after demonstrations against the government in Lilongwe, Blantyre, Mzuzu, and Karonga.
The demonstration was organized to protest President Mutharika and his ruling DPP’s inaction on “poor economic and democratic governance.” An injunction banning public demonstrations throughout the country delayed the start of the protest, but after the injunction was lifted protests went ahead. Only protesters in Blantyre secured last-minute legal permission for the demonstrations. Protests in all cities devolved into violence on July 20, with police firing tear gas and warning shots and disorganized groups destroying property. Civil unrest continued the following day with widespread looting in major cities. In an attempt to restore order, police used tear gas and live bullets. The Malawi Defense Force (MDF) deployed on both July 20 and 21 to quell violence and restore calm. The final death count, including victims who died later from injuries, was 20 persons. None of those who died was a participant in the demonstrations.
On November 30, a commission of inquiry into the events commenced work with several public hearings and another session planned for the northern region in early 2012. The commission has an eight-month window to complete its work. To date, police have admitted using live bullets and the inspector general of the Malawi Police Service (MPS) admitted to mishandling the protests and called for a return of bonuses paid to police who worked during the July unrest.
On September 24, Robert Chasowa, vice president of “Youth for Freedom and Democracy” and a student at the Polytechnic School, was found dead on campus under controversial circumstances. Chasowa was under police watch for the publication of “Political Update,” which was highly critical of the government. Police claimed that he committed suicide by falling from a building, and as evidence, produced two suicide notes. Irregularities in the letters raised suspicions and Chasowa’s family demanded further investigation. A postmortem in October concluded that he died from head injuries sustained from assault by a blunt instrument and not as a result of a fall. A commission of inquiry was to investigate the circumstances surrounding Chasowa’s death, but no one had been named to the panel by year’s end.
Police arbitrarily shot and killed suspects. For example, on December 20, police shot and killed four suspects in Limbe who were trying to escape after allegedly planning to break into a shop. The same night, police also shot and killed a man in Blantyre suspected of attempted robbery. No action reportedly was taken against the police officers responsible.
Police were implicated in the death of several prisoners in custody. For example, in March Emmanuel Kafere died in a police cell at Mulenga police unit in Zomba. A postmortem indicated that Kafere died from internal bleeding after suffering head stab wounds, two broken legs, and a broken arm. The policeman accused of Kafere’s death was charged with murder and appeared in court on March 21. At year’s end, he was being held in pretrial detention and the case was awaiting trial.
On December 4, Kingsley Khope died in Ndirande police’s custody in Blantyre. Family members were denied visitation and demanded a postmortem. Police claimed Khope died on arrival at the hospital after complaining of malaria, but the family accused police of causing the death by assaulting Khope.
Perpetrators of past abuses were occasionally punished, but investigations often were abandoned or remained inconclusive. For instance, there were no further developments in the following 2010 killings: the July shooting death of Silence Kapalamula by a police officer and the September death of a woman and her child, who were struck and killed by a speeding truck driven by a police officer.
The National Oil Company of Malawi (NOCMA) has announced that the country is on the cusp of achieving stable fuel supplies, thanks to a Government-to-Government (G-to-G) arrangement with several deliveries already underway from the Port of Tanga.
Speaking to 247 Malawi News, NOCMA Chief Executive Officer(CEO ) Clement Kanyama,said the government has made significant progress in finalizing the G-to-G arrangement, which is expected to boost the country’s fuel reserves.
Clement Kanyama
He revealed that in the meantime, contracted suppliers will continue to bring fuel into the country while the G-to-G arrangement is being finalized.
Kanyama said in recent days, NOCMA has received substantial shipments, including 79 fuel tankers on Friday, 42 trucks on Thursday, and 95 trucks at the Songwe border on Saturday, with the majority carrying petrol.
However, the NOCMA CEO noted that weather conditions in the northern region are affecting fuel transportation to key cities like Lilongwe and Blantyre.
Despite this, he expressed confidence that petrol supply stability will be achieved in the coming week.
Kanyama assured Malawians that the G-to-G fuel consignments are expected to arrive between July 7 and 11, 2025, supplementing supplies from Dar es Salaam and Beira.
Malawi has been experiencing fuel stockouts in the past four years, largely due to foreign exchange scarcity.
The country has an annual import bill of $3 billion against $1 billion forex it generates.
