Modeling medical equipment standards for blood banking at different levels of health care system in countries with limited resources: the case of Cameroon

In sub-Saharan Africa countries access to safe and adequate blood products continues to be a major public health concern, in particularly for children and young women suffering respectively from malaria and maternal hemorrhages. The major constraints of blood transfusion practice are the low donation rate and high prevalence of blood-borne diseases like HIV, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B, Syphilis and Malaria among blood donors. Hospitals in low-income countries frequently report the poor state of medical equipment as being a key challenge they face in delivering services , however little is known on the availability, quality and management of health care equipment in sub-Saharan Africa blood transfusion services. The objectives of this study were to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the available blood bank equipment at different hospital levels in Cameroon and to identify appropriate tools for the selection and management of blood bank technologies in countries with limited resources.