William Evans Mutabazi first donated blood in 2014 after months of hesitation. At the time, he was a secondary school student and believed that giving blood would make him weak, assuming other people would step in to meet the need. ALSO READ: From queue to click: Rwanda's digital transformation of blood donation Though healthy, he was nervous about the pre-donation health check and unsure what it involved. After completing the screening and being found eligible, he went ahead with his first donation. ALSO READ: How timely drone blood delivery saved life in wake of road crash “I didn’t understand the urgency. I believed the responsibility belonged to older people, not someone like me,” Mutabazi, a journalist, said. Stories of patients who died because blood was unavailable later deeply affected him, prompting him to overcome his fears and donate for the first time. After that initial donation, he received a card showing his blood group, O+, which could also give him or a family member priority in an emergency. “I donate whenever there’s a campaign, especially during Car Free Days or public health events. What began as fear has become a habit. It lets me know my health status and helps someone in need. That small act is saving lives,” Mutabazi said. Like Mutabazi, Phoebe Kaitesi, a lawyer, had limited knowledge about blood donation before she began donating years ago. She feared she might faint, wondered how her blood would be used, and worried it could become contaminated during the process. Experts later explained to her the donation procedure, the health requirements, and the importance of knowing one’s blood group and she started donating blood. Halima Nakiyemba, a resident of Kacyiru, recalls being hospitalised in 2015 after undergoing hernia surgery – a common procedure to push protruding tissue or organs back into place and fix the weak muscle wall in the abdomen or groin – and needing blood that was not immediately available. Doctors eventually secured blood for her, but while still in the ward, she witnessed a friend she had met there die due to the lack of timely blood. The experience compelled her to vow to become a blood donor. Today, she donates at least twice a year. Misconceptions surrounding blood donation continue to make potential donors hesitant and leave patients unsure about what receiving blood involves. Dr Thomas Muyombo, the Blood Transfusion Division Manager at Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), said health officials often encounter these misconceptions during radio programmes and community outreach activities. He said that one of the most common misconception is the belief that blood recipients can adopt the behaviours or traits of the donor. “Another widespread misconception is that once someone starts donating blood, they must continue for life. Many people create these stories to justify why they are not donating. Most of the time, it’s not meant to discourage others, but rather to explain personal choices,” Dr Muyombo said. He explained that RBC addresses these misconceptions during community engagements. For example, when claims arise that donors must give blood for life, officials point out that many people donate for a specific period, such as during high school, and stop after graduation. Others may temporarily stop donating due to illness. These examples demonstrate that blood donation is voluntary and not a lifelong obligation, he added. Dr Muyombo also dismissed concerns about recipients acquiring traits from donors, noting that patients ranging from children to the elderly — including mothers who have recently given birth — have received transfusions without any changes to their behaviour or personality. “When conducting awareness campaigns, we ask if anyone knows someone who has received blood. If a volunteer is willing, we invite them to share their experience. This helps the audience understand that transfusions do not change who a person is,” he said. He added that patients often ask about safety, as people are naturally cautious about anything introduced into their bodies. Blood transfusions, he explained, are recommended only as a last resort, when no other treatment options are available. Doctors take time to explain the procedure to patients, or to their caregivers if the patient is unconscious, and RBC has systems in place to ensure quality and safety. Consent, he emphasised, is always part of the transfusion process. Patients sign a consent form themselves, and if they are unconscious, a caretaker or family member signs on their behalf. “Some people believe that blood donated free of charge is later sold to patients, which can discourage donors. That is not true, as blood is not sold in hospitals. In the future, there may be mechanisms to recover the costs of collection, storage, and distribution, but that is different from selling blood as a commodity,” Dr Muyombo said. He explained that even routine procedures such as cross-matching — tests conducted to ensure donor blood is compatible with a patient’s blood — are sometimes misunderstood. Patients may see these steps and assume they are paying for the blood, and such misinterpretations can spread and become misconceptions.
