The United States government has assisted the opening of a 5 million USD for the National Blood Bank in Ethiopia. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Sean Jones and State Minister of Health Saharla Abdulahi officially installed the new National Blood Bank Services headquarters building in Ethiopia.
The new facility will provide for the National Blood Bank Services of Ethiopia, with holding capacity to receive much-increased volume of blood donations from the communities to aid whatever humans in need of it, Saharla said.
The State Minister of Health added that the screen and process of blood products would be handled more efficiently and effectively. To assist the life-saving bid, the ministry will distribute it to health centers and patients in bad need throughout the country.
Through USAID and the U.S President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the United States has invested USD 65 million towards building and improving health facilities in Ethiopia over the past five sequential years, the State Minister added. In addition to the new building blood bank, the project has built with a total of 22 new health centers and 10 pharmaceutical warehouses around the country, and renovated another 10 existing health centers in the same ways, as to her.
Saharla insisted that these infrastructure projects would strengthen broader investments and long-standing partnership between the United States and Ethiopia and it enhances the national health system and improve the quality of health care service for the community. The State Minister stated that the newly inaugurated blood bank improve blood donation service campaign program in the country which helps to register and collect above the planned units of blood.
For his part, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Sean Jones said that the United States is the largest bilateral provider of support to Ethiopia’s health sector, with approximately USD 150 million per year in funding for HIV/AIDS; malaria; maternal, neonatal and child health; nutrition; tuberculosis; and water, sanitation and hygiene.
Overall, the United States has provided approximately USD 4 billion in development and humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia over the past five consecutive years, it was learnt.
The Ethiopian Herald, Sunday Edition November 3/2019
BY MUSSA MUHAMMED
