The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole has revealed the government’s plans to establish a National Blood Transfusion Services commission.
According to him, the draft bill for the cause will soon be submitted to the Federal Executive Council.
Speaking in Abuja to commemorate World Blood Donor Day on Wednesday, June 14, the minister said “Emergencies increase the demand for blood transfusion and make its delivery challenging and complex. Adequate supplies of safe blood units during emergencies cannot be overemphasized. It reduces the incidence of mortality arising from severe acute blood losses following obstetric emergencies, trauma especially during road traffic accidents, bomb blasts, collapsed buildings to mention a few. It also requires a well-organized blood service, which can only be ensured by engaging the entire community and a blood donor population committed to voluntary unpaid blood donation throughout the year.
“With a population of over 180 million, the estimated blood need in Nigeria is about 1.8 million units of blood per annum. Unfortunately, much less is donated leading to avoidable deaths and morbidities particularly amongst our women folk, newborn children, victims of road traffic accidents and insurgencies…
“Our limited national data indicate that voluntary non-remunerated blood donation accounts for only 10% of our total blood collection. Family replacement donations and commercial donations account for 30 and 60 percent respectively. This situation needs to be reversed as we move towards the attainment of 100% voluntary non- remunerated blood donation by the year 2020″.
