World Blood Donor Day: Nigeria needs 200m units of blood annually — NBTS

Dr Joseph Amedu, the coordinator of the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS), announced that the country needs more than 200 million units of blood per year, to save the lives of those in need.

Amedu made this known during a webinar on “Why Nigeria Needs More Blood” hosted by Punch Media Foundation, to mark World Blood Donor Day 2021 on Monday.

He said only 500,000 units of blood were donated each year, of which 5% came from free donors.

“More free blood donations are needed in the country to save lives, especially among young people.

“Many victims of the pastoralist crisis, theft attacks and road accidents have died, due to the inaccessibility and unavailability of compatible blood to support them.

“Of the 500,000 units of blood donated in the country, 95% come from commercial donors,” he said.

According to the coordinator, commercial blood donation is not safe as it usually takes place in facilities that are not hygienic for such procedures.

“The facilities where commercial donations often take place are not hygienically safe and therefore this blood escapes some screening procedures.

“The state of health of some of these commercial donors cannot be guaranteed because some of them are drug addicts and carriers of chronic diseases,” he said.

The national coordinator urged young people to embrace free blood donation, saying that every unit of blood donated saves a life.

Ms Moji Makanjuola, Founder, International Society for Public Health Media, advised the media to promote voluntary blood donation on their various platforms.

“It is imperative that the media are at the forefront of promoting voluntary blood donation in society.

“The media is becoming a stimulus to ensure that people are well informed about the benefits of donating blood to save lives that desperately need it,” said Makanjuola. (NAA)