Ivory Coast and Senegal Tackle Blood Supply Costs and Shortfalls

In Ivory Coast, the Ministry of Health clarified that blood donation is free, but patients are asked to contribute 3,000 FCFA per blood bag. The fee offsets a small part of the roughly 50,000 FCFA cost required for testing, processing, storage and distribution, which is largely subsidised by the state. It also funds donor incentives such as a snack, a transport allowance and free bags for regular donors and their immediate families.

In Senegal, the National Blood Transfusion Centre warned of a deficit of about 50,000 blood bags, meeting only 73 % of the 186,000 units the country needs annually according to WHO guidelines. In 2024, 136,347 bags were collected. Urgent cases are being managed, but safety margins remain thin. Officials are urging more regular donors, especially for rare groups like O‑negative, noting that the 24,500 regular donors currently provide just 18 % of total collections.