Rwanda is looking at how to make use of surplus plasma from blood donations, with much of it currently not being used in hospitals.

In other countries, excess plasma, the liquid part of blood, is often sent to specialised factories where it is turned into medicines in exchange for finished drugs or financial value.

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Rwanda uses only about 5 percent of the plasma collected from blood donations, and the rest remains unused in hospitals.

"In some countries, blood banks collect more plasma than hospitals need. Instead of letting the excess go to waste, they send it to factories that turn plasma into medicines,” explained Dr Thomas Muyombo, Blood Transfusion Division Manager at Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC).

"Rwanda is now exploring whether it can do the same, as hospitals currently use less plasma than the amount being collected.”

How blood is processed

Blood donated in Rwanda is separated soon after collection into red blood cells, platelets, plasma and cryoprecipitate. Each component is stored and used for different medical needs.

Plasma makes up more than half of a unit of blood. It is frozen at minus 18 degrees Celsius and stored for up to one year.

"In Rwanda, we only store it for one year because that's the choice that would be made because we have enough supply. In hospitals, plasma is mainly used alongside other blood components in patients with major bleeding, surgery or trauma,” Muyombo said.

The process from transfusion to manufacturing

Dr. Muyombo said that blood products are in two categories, those used directly in hospitals and those processed further.

"These are blood products that are derived from plasma in a manufacturing plant or factory. This process, known as plasma fractionation, is carried out in a limited number of facilities worldwide, including in South Africa, Europe, the United States and Asia,” he explained.

"The process produces medicines such as immunoglobulins for patients with weak immune systems, clotting factors used in haemophilia care, and albumin for conditions such as burns, shock and severe illness.”

For patients with haemophilia (a genetic disorder that prevents blood from clotting properly), treatment is lifelong. They are born with the condition and depend on these medicines throughout their lives, the health official added.