(JUBA) – The National Blood Transfusion Service in South Sudan is on the brink of collapse due to a critical lack of funding, according to its Director, Dr Angelo Aruop Akeen. The service, which is essential for emergency and routine medical care, has been operating without regular financial support since December 2024, when key donor funding came to an end.
Dr Akeen told media in an interview that the situation has significantly affected their ability to conduct blood drives, carry out public awareness campaigns, and maintain emergency response readiness.
“We were previously supported by the UN Development Programme through the Global Fund, and also by the South Sudan Red Cross,” he said. “But most of these projects ended in December last year.”
Since then, the service has functioned with minimal or no funding. Dr Akeen described the current state as “almost zero cost” operations, sustained only by personal appeals for help and small scale contributions.
“On a daily basis, we reach out to individuals who are willing to support even one blood drive just to fuel the car so we can go to places like Munuki or Konyo-Konyo and collect blood,” he explained.
The situation reflects a wider problem in South Sudan’s health sector, which receives only between one and three percent of the country’s national budget.
“The National Blood Services is part of the Ministry of Health, and the ministry itself gets about one to three percent of the total annual national budget,” Dr Akeen said. “Sometimes, we don’t get anything at all.”
In addition to the central facility in Juba, the National Blood Transfusion Service operates regional centres in Wau, Malakal and Torit. However, these branches are poorly equipped and heavily reliant on international humanitarian support. Many face operational paralysis due to the same financial limitations.
Dr Akeen warned that without renewed support from the government and development partners, the blood service will not be able to function effectively. He stressed that consistent access to safe blood is vital to saving lives during childbirth, surgeries, accidents and disease outbreaks.
The decline in donor funding, especially from international partners, has had a direct impact on services like blood transfusion, which depend on both logistical capacity and public participation. Dr Akeen emphasised that public awareness efforts have also dwindled due to the financial constraints, making it harder to attract voluntary blood donors.
He called on the government to increase its health funding and urged aid agencies to reconsider their support to critical services such as blood donation, especially as South Sudan continues to experience recurring health emergencies and humanitarian challenges.
