Voluntary donation of blood will reduce maternal mortality, avoidable deaths of victims of robbery attacks, road accidents, herdsmen-farmers crisis, amongst other fatal emergencies, the National Blood Transfusion Service has said.
NBTS National Coordinator, Dr. Joseph Amedu, stated this on Monday while speaking at the PUNCH Media Foundation webinar series in commemoration of the World Blood Donor Day.
Amedu joined other renowned health experts including Lagos State Branch Secretary, Nigerian Red Cross Society, Olakunle Lasisi; Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the International Society of Media in Public Health, Moji Makanjuola; and Founder, Action on Blood, Abiola Okubanjo; to discuss the need for more voluntary blood donors in Nigeria at the virtual event.
The theme of the programme was, ‘Why Nigeria needs more free blood donors’. According to the World Health Organisation, Nigeria needs at least two million units of blood every year based on its over 200 million population but only 500,000 units of blood are donated yearly, endangering the survival of patients in need of blood.
Many victims of herdsmen-farmers crisis, robbery attacks, road accidents, amongst others have died due to inaccessibility to, and unavailability of compatible blood types.
Just last week, 30-year-old Ebenezer Ayeni lost his life hours after he was shot by hoodlums in the Ojoo area of Oyo State.
“The third hospital accepted him but he had lost so much blood by the time. His blood group was O-. He died before we could get a donor,” a close friend of the deceased had told The PUNCH.
Ayeni was one of the many preventable deaths of gunshot victims and other emergencies who could have been saved with the availability of the right blood type.
Speaking at PUNCH Webinar on Monday, Amedu stressed the need for free blood donation, especially by young people, given the youth bulge in Nigeria.
He noted that commercial blood donation is not safe as most of the donations are not carried out in hygienically safe health facilities and therefore evade certain screening procedures.
The NBTS national coordinator also pointed out that the health status of commercial donors cannot be guaranteed as some of them are homosexuals, drug addicts, and carriers of chronic diseases who sell their blood for pecuniary benefits.
He lamented that though Nigeria needs at least two million units of blood annually, only 500,000 units are donated every year, adding that 95 per cent of these are commercial donors while a mere five per cent are free donors.
Amedu said, “Blood is life and blood transfusions are critical for healthcare and instrumental in life-saving interventions such as accidents, childbirth, various emergency situations resulting from insurgencies, wars, herdsmen-farmers clashes, routine surgeries, sickle cell diseases, cancer and various anaemic conditions.
“Nigeria has a blood need of approximately two million units based on a population of 200 million.
“Blood is life and can be very dangerous and can kill if not properly used. Ten per cent of blood transmitted in Nigeria carry the risk of transmitting HIV, hepatitis C, hepatitis D and Syphilis.
“Commercial blood donation constitutes the largest portion of the country’s blood source which is also the case of most low-income countries.
“Commercially donated blood is not very safe at all. About half a million units of blood are collected annually in Nigeria and only five per cent of these are from voluntary blood donors. Ninety-five per cent of the blood units sourced from commercial blood donors are what we have in Nigeria.”
Amedu, therefore, called on Nigerian youths to embrace free blood donation as often as they can, knowing fully well that every unit of blood donated saves a victim of gunshots, farmers-herders crisis, surgery, among others.
“We are focusing on the youths because their contributions to saving lives are very important. Therefore, we ask every Nigerian and every youth fit to donate blood to do so freely to save lives in the country,” he said.
On his part, Lagos State Branch Secretary, Nigerian Red Cross Society, Olakunle Lasisi, urged youths to view blood donation as a give-back to the society or corporate social responsibility.
He encouraged them to freely donate blood at least once every three months.
Also, Founder of Action on Blood, Abiola Okubanjo, urged youths to know their blood group and be responsive in the free donation of blood. She also stressed the need for more awareness for free blood donation in the country.
Asides from experts, students were also present at the webinar as they spiced it up with insightful poetic renditions, creatively advocating the need for more voluntary blood donors in Nigeria.
The student-poets are Dadeoluwamu Adeniyi of Greensprings Schools, Lekki, Lagos; Amesa Oluwaseun of Dobar Comprehensive College, Ikorodu, Lagos;
Ogboli Chiamaka and Ademola Adedamola of Platform College, Ipaja, Lagos; as well as Haastrup Israel, Abolarin Damilola, Iremide Abayomi, Martins Tolulope, Onofure Ezezobor and Ameh Esther of Graceland College, Magboro, Ogun State.
The event was moderated by renowned media personality and Managing Director of the Yellow Tamarind Productions, Isabella Adediji.
