Kazeem Ugbodaga
As the world mark the World Blood Donor Day, the Lagos State Government has revealed that both public and private health facilities in the state will need about 70,000 unit of blood annually to meet the demand of blood transfusion.
Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, at a news conference to mark the Day in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria on Tuesday, said, because the government was not able to meet the demand for blood in hospitals, that was the reason it asked husbands of pregnant women to donate blood.
He explained that such arrangement was important in case the woman had hemorrhage and as a result, needed blood.
“A recurring question that comes up at our Maternal and Child Mortality Reduction Programmes is why husbands of pregnant women are made to donate blood. This is in a bid to ensure that should the pregnant woman hemorrhage and need blood, same is available. This is not a policy but an idea mooted by end-users to ensure timely availability of safe blood.
“Ideally, 100 percent of blood to be transfused should be from voluntary non-remunerated donors but the response is currently inadequate. Out of the 32,619 units of blood donated in public health facilities in 2015, only 13 percent (4,175) were sourced from voluntary donors. 33% and 54% are sourced from replacement and antenatal donors respectively.
“From both public and private health institutions, a cumulative average of 70,000 units of blood is required annually. We need to create wider public awareness on the need for regular, unpaid blood donation and inspire young, healthy people who have not yet keyed in to start donating with a view to have a robust blood bank,” he stated.
Idris also ordered that certified blood for transfusion must bear the logo of the state government as a means of establishing its quality …Read More
Source:: PM Newspaper
