The document summarizes the launch of a mobile blood donation bus in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The blood bus, named "The Blood Vessel", was developed through a collaboration between the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) and various companies. It aims to make blood donation more accessible in remote areas and public events. The blood bus prototype was built on an Iveco chassis and fitted internally by other companies. It is hoped that additional mobile blood clinics will be developed and deployed across South Africa based on the success of this pilot project.

1. 10 FOCUS December 2006
bussingabout
T
he friendly city of Port Elizabeth was privileged to host
the launch of the latest blood collection innovation,
in the form of a mobile blood bus earlier this month.
Aptly named “The Blood Vessel”, the local adoption of
the international model (tailor-made to local requirements)
underwent an 18-month consultation and planning process.
Donor services manager for the Eastern Cape, Ian Simpson,
says that the South African National Blood Service (SANBS)
is excited about the “Bus Project”, which is a small part
of an expansive vision to provide much needed resources
to reduce the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Third World and
resource-strapped countries: “Funding for this project was
obtained from the US President’s Emergency Plan For
Aids Relief (PEPFAR), thanks to the groundwork done by
Professor Heyns, the former CEO of SANBS, in securing the
support from America.
“The Blood Vessel’s primary objective is to increase the
number of blood donations in areas where this was either
not possible or extremely difficult in the past. This will allow
blood donation in outlying areas, at businesses where no
space is available for mobile operations using collapsible
equipment, as well as at various public events,” explains
Simpson.
These novel blood donation units are assembled on Iveco
100E21 chassis, with bodies built by Busmark 2000. Erudite
Enclosures facilitated the internal fittings; Generator Logic
supplied air-conditioning, power generators and lighting.
Iveco and Busmark 2000 have been directly involved in this
painstaking process to ensure the success of this prototype.
Sales and marketing manager for Busmark 2000, Malcolm
Wilken, comments, “As with all enquiries, we approached
this project with optimism. Our objective was to jointly
develop a uniquely South African solution which we could
offer to Iveco for sale into Africa. It is rewarding to be
involved in this project, we have been privy to the vehicle’s
evolution into an attractive, functional unit.”
“Conversions of this nature require total commitment and
dedication from all parties concerned, coupled with a
passion to deliver the best possible product to the client,”
asserts Amos Stephenson, national fleet and product sales
manager for Iveco. “We made a conscious decision to
be directly involved in every step of the process, firstly to
ensure that the various suppliers retain the quality that is
originally built into all our products, but also to ensure that
once fitment of the various components is complete, we can
guarantee a reliable, dependable vehicle. Essentially, the
Iveco name – not those of the other suppliers – is affixed to
the front of the vehicle.”
And what would a Blood Bus be without bold branding? The
bright red vehicle will make its debut on the streets of East
London and Pretoria. Based on the initial success of this
pilot project, additional units will be developed and placed
into the various regions over a five-year period. ❖
Blood donation in South Africa has taken a new direction, thanks
to the ingenious customisation of the first-ever mobile blood clinic.
CHERYL RAMURATH reports
blood buslaunched in South Africa
mobile
Above: Raising awareness – the power of vehicle branding is
displayed as the bus doubles up as a mobile billboard.
Left: Turning the development wheel (left to right) are: Ian
Simpson and Irene van Schalkwyk from SANBS, Iveco’s Amos
Stephenson, ??? and Malcolm Wilken of Busmark 2000.