South African Jehovah’s Witnesses finally accept blood transfusion medical treatment

* The prohibition on blood transfusions posed a major challenge to the healthcare system, specifically in emergency and critical care settings

* Lifts a substantial burden from the shoulders of healthcare workers, many of whom had to resort to the courts in order to save innocent children from the beliefs of their parents

By Duncan Mlanjira

South Africa’s Department of Health has profoundly welcomed the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ change of heart over their long-standing position on blood transfusions, calling it a historic and significant decision.

In a press statement, the Department takes not that for decades, the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ “prohibition on blood transfusions posed a major challenge to the healthcare system, specifically in emergency and critical care settings”.

“Blood transfusion is a life-saving intervention that directly addresses life-threatening deficits in oxygen delivery and haemostatis)the stopping of bleeding), and enables complex medical procedures that would others be unsafe.

“This has saved many millions of lives throughout history, hence its prohibition had left doctors frustrated when somebody they could have saved with a simple blood transfusion passed under their watch.

“The prohibition of blood transfusion on religious ground had been a thorn in the fresh of the healthcare system for many decades.”

South Africa’s Minister of Health Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi is quoted in the statement taking note that Jehovah’s Witnesses “still prohibit transfusion of whole blood”.

But he reassured the South Africans that doctors and hospitals or any other health facility “has for decades discouraged the use of whole blood for ordinary transfusions”.

“Whole blood is extremely unaffordable and, in many cases, not needed. There are very few circumstances under which whole blood need to be transfused,” explained the Minister.

He thus commended the Jehovah’s Witnesses for their decision, which he described as a “giant leap”, emphasising that their decision “lifts a substantial burden from the shoulders of healthcare workers, many of whom had to resort to the courts in order to save innocent children from the beliefs of their parents”.

“A blood transfusion is a medical procedure in which blood or specific blood components are given to a patient through a vein to replace lost blood or to treat several conditions that affect how well blood functions.”

Malawi has a large following of Jehovah’s Witnesses throughout the country and it is yet to be known whether the South African case sets a precedent on the same.

In October 2022, in the midst of a cholera outbreak, In the interest public health, Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN) appealed to the Government to put strict measures for faith groups to comply in seeking medical attention to increase the population’s immunity — hence advancing the right to life.

In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA) then, Executive Director, George Jobe made the appeal after observing that faith leaders bar women and children from accessing medical help and has since asked them to stop the malpractice in order to reduce infant mortality rate in the country.

Jobe emphasised that it is necessary for the government to ensure that everyone is accessing medical help more especially when the country was under siege of different pandemics like cholera and polio.

“It is very pathetic that there are some religious leaders in the country who are frustrating the efforts of defeating diseases like cholera and polio by instructing their members not to access medical help like vaccine because it is against their beliefs,” Jobe had said.

He thus appealed to government to put the strong measures for compliance, saying “all members who belong to such faith groups must start going to hospital to be vaccinated against different diseases like polio and also seek medical assistance when they are sick”.

When contacted, Rev. Amos Batumeyo of Zion Apostolic Church, whose domination discourages congregants from accessing medical attention, said their church doctrine cannot change just because they want to accommodate the demands of other people.  

He said they do not stop their members from taking their children to hospital but they tell them that it is only God who heals — hence, no need to seek intervention from a fellow being.

“Disease are a part of punishment which God struck mankind because of disobedience — therefore, it is the same God who can cure it,” Batumeyo had stated.

Yakobo Nkangala, a member of Apostolic Faith Church said religion did not stop anyone from seeking medical services but that they believed it is only God who can heal the sick — hence, being faithful to Him.