Blood transfusion practices in Africa: advances, barriers, and ways of overcoming the barriers - a narrative review.

Blood transfusion is a crucial component of health care in Africa, providing life-saving support for patients with severe anemia, trauma, and maternal hemorrhage. Over the years, significant advancements have been made, including improved donor recruitment strategies, enhanced screening technologies, and better infrastructure for blood banking. Innovations such as mobile donor tracking applications and drone technology for blood delivery have further improved accessibility, particularly in remote areas. Policy reforms and international collaborations have also played a key role in strengthening national blood transfusion services across the continent. Despite these advancements, Africa continues to face major challenges in ensuring a safe and sufficient blood supply. Persistent issues such as low voluntary blood donation rates, high prevalence of transfusion-transmissible infections, and inadequate health care infrastructure hinder progress. Financial constraints, workforce shortages, and weak regulatory frameworks further compromise the efficiency and sustainability of blood transfusion services. These barriers contribute to a continued reliance on family replacement donors and, in some cases, unsafe transfusion practices that pose risks to patients.