Our Business
Our Medical Director’s reflections
on a great year
Our Business
Our Medical Director’s reflections on a great year
Dr. Karin van den Berg, MEDICAL DIRECTOR
“FY25 marked the close of the iHEALTh strategy, a period that strengthened our foundations, advanced medical and scientific excellence, and expanded our ability to serve with purpose.
As we transition into the ‘Serving with Heart’ strategy, our focus sharpens on a truly customer-centric approach, driven by empathy, innovation, and a commitment to the donors, patients, and healthcare partners who depend on us.”
Intellectual capital: Research and scientific leadership
Research remains a cornerstone of our relevance and global standing. In FY25, SANBS authored or co-authored 19 publications in peer-reviewed journals and academic texts, continuing our contribution to the advancement of transfusion medicine at a global level.
Two significant long-term studies began this year:
- Hepatitis C Serology study – An international trial led by SANBS to assess whether serology testing can be safely discontinued for certain treated donors, balancing safety with cost-effectiveness.
- Malaria study – Investigating the feasibility of abolishing some of our Malaria deferrals through the targeted implementation of highly sensitive malaria testing, potentially reversing the loss of valuable donors.
We continue to strengthen our position as a trusted leader in blood services across Africa, sharing expertise, building capacity, and shaping best practices through strategic collaborations.
This role was further reinforced when the World Health Organisation (WHO) engaged SANBS to provide proficiency testing for African blood services, a testament to our technical excellence and the credibility of our accredited laboratory.
Our leadership was also evident in hosting the African Transfusion Indaba and welcoming a delegation from Ethiopia for specialised stem cell collection and donor management training, deepening capacity-building efforts across the continent.
Human capital: Skills, training and workforce challenges
SANBS' ability to train and deploy critical talent has been hampered by accreditation and regulatory misalignments.
Laboratory accreditation bottlenecks remain a key constraint. Multiple SANBS blood bank laboratories are still awaiting full HPCSA accreditation. As audits and approvals lag, trainees cannot complete their required practical training. This gap significantly hampers our ability to ensure service delivery at our various laboratories and collection sites, while also negatively impacting the career progression of affected trainees.
Despite these challenges, SANBS remains committed to building a resilient healthcare workforce. Our efforts extend beyond our own organisation, contributing to skills development across the wider health sector through high-quality training and development programmes.
In FY25, these external initiatives achieved significant reach and impact. SANBS trained 64,298 healthcare workers (HCW) via webinars, workshops, and hospital-based sessions, including the widely attended “Best Practice” lecture series.
These initiatives expanded access to training, strengthened Transfusion Medicine knowledge and enhanced clinical practice. This investment in human capital is contributing to improved patient care and outcomes, supporting reintegration into families, communities, and the economy.
Social and relationship capital: Donor wellness and engagement
Donor wellness remains a core pillar of our social and relationship capital strategy. This year, our Iron Programme centred on rolling out Cheliron Forte, an iron supplement with fewer side effects, which saw an improvement in donor uptake. Complemented by enhanced education campaigns and proactive monitoring, these initiatives have strengthened donor trust, elevated satisfaction, and reinforced a safer, more supportive donation experience.
Environmental capital: Sustainability initiatives and waste management
SANBS continues to embed sustainability across its operations:
Carbon and waste management – We are finalising a procurement process to define our carbon baseline and reduction targets, while ongoing recycling programmes minimise general waste. Our rigorous biological waste controls have delivered a discard rate of 4.14%, well below the 7.1% target and favourably benchmarking against international peers.
Green buildings - A R200 million investment will transform our Constantia Head Office (CK2) into a five-star, green certified workplace featuring best in class, energy efficient laboratory facilities. Together, these initiatives reinforce our commitment to reducing SANBS' environmental footprint while future proofing our infrastructure.
