The blood supply chain starts with the blood donor and ends with the patient, but ultimately it is the requirement for blood by the patient that drives the chain and hence the number of blood donations required. Various factors affect the blood supply chain; the number of donors who are willing to donate regularly, seasonal factors affecting donation e.g. public holidays, the blood services ability to adequately predict the number of units of blood required throughout the year and to ensure that they do not overstock and therefore increase wastage, the clinicians' awareness of appropriate blood ordering and transfusion and the hospital laboratories ability to ensure sufficient stock yet have minimal wastage. It is essential that all staff working in each area of the blood supply chain is aware of their responsibilities to ensure minimal wastage of this freely given resource. Therefore education and training and data collection are important elements of the blood supply chain.
Current Leadership
Rada M. Grubovic Rastvorceva
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rada Milos Grubovic Rastvorceva, MD MSci PhD is Consultant in Transfusion Medicine and Hematology, Scientific Program Manager at European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and HealthCare (EDQM) at the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medical Sciences at Goce Delcev University, Stip, N. Macedonia. Dr. Grubovic has been President of Macedonian Society for Transfusion Medicine and Chief Medical Officer of Institute for Transfusion Medicine of RNM in Skopje, N. Macedonia. Dr. Grubovic was awarded with Princes of Wales Memorial Award by the British Blood Transfusion Society, Fulbright Scholarship by the US Department of State, Award for Scientific Contribution in the Field of Medical Sciences and Certificate of Recognition for Scientific Productivity by the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University Goce Delcev, Stip, N. Macedonia, Certificate of Recognition from Macedonian Medical Association and many other domestic and international recognitions. She has more than 20 years working experience in the transfusion medicine field and extensive research experience in blood donation, apheresis, blood safety and supply, cellular therapy, transplantation medicine, clinical transfusion, quality management and etc. She gained additional research experience at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), USA and King’s College Hospital, London, UK. She was National Project Manager of the EU IPA project “Strengthening of the Blood Safety System” 2013/14 and collaborator of European Blood Alliance (EBA) at EU projects SUPPORT-E and SUPPLY. Dr. Grubovic was a national representative in European Committee on Blood Transfusion at EDQM, Council of Europe and in European Commission on SoHO (bilateral screening chapter 28) and institutional representative and board member of EBA. She was advisor of Macedonian Minister of Health 2012-2015 and was a founder and Project Leader of National COVID-19 convalescent plasma program (PI – trial NCT04397523). She participated in numerous research projects and authored and coauthored more than 250 scientific publications. Dr. Grubovic is a member of ISBT, AABB, ISCT, MMA, MMC, MSTM and editorial board member and reviewer in more than 20 international medical journals.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/radicagrubovic/
email: [email protected]
Rodin Jouvet Simo Kiegaing
Rodin Jouvet Simo Kiegaing is a mathematician and public health innovator based in Douala, Cameroon. He is the Executive Director of Data Touch Analytics (DTA), a data consultancy firm focused on improving company performance and decision-making in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Rodin also serves as the Sub-Saharan Coordinator of the Benkadi Blood Project, a regional initiative aimed at optimizing blood transfusion systems through digital transformation, data-driven strategies, and stakeholder engagement.
With a background in mathematics from the University of Buea and a leadership certificate from the Pan-African Leadership and Entrepreneurship Foundation, Rodin combines analytical rigor with a commitment to social impact. He has over seven years of experience in project coordination, enterprise optimization, and digital health system implementation.
Rodin has worked extensively as a consultant for organizations such as Go Ahead Africa, Lamana Sarl, and TESHO, helping them develop data strategies, streamline operations, and build capacity in health data management. In his current role at DTA, he leads interdisciplinary teams to deliver technology-driven solutions in health, notably in the areas of blood supply chain digitization and donor engagement. He has participated in key international conferences, including the ISBT Regional Congress in Cape Town (2023) and the AfSBT Congress in Dakar (2022), where he presented the work of the Benkadi Blood initiative. He is passionate about transforming Africa’s health systems through innovation, data, and cross-sector partnerships. Rodin is fluent in French and English and actively collaborates with regional and international stakeholders to promote voluntary blood donation, improve health infrastructure, and support evidence-based policy development.
Annual Report
Click the link below to read the Report of the Blood Supply Management Working Party for 2024/2025.
