NBSC: 1 Million Blood Donors Targeted
In line with its commitment to ensure the safe provision of quality blood and blood products in Nigeria, the National Blood Service Commission, NBSC, has flagged off the Abuja sensitization of its core mandate at a well attended event in the nation’s capital.
A key activity of the NBSC is to recruit and educate healthy members of the public to donate blood through education, media campaigns, and blood donation drives (an offshoot of the National Blood Transfusion Service).
During his lead presentation, on the commissions mandate, Dr. Omale Joseph Amedu, the Acting Director General of the NBSC, highlighted upon the significance of safe and quality blood and blood products, pointing out that across Nigeria, “there are significant variations in the availability, quality, safety and use of blood components provided in both public and private health care establishments.”
He also called on healthy Nigerians to cultivate the habit of voluntary blood donation to save lives of not only the sick who are in need of blood but also accident victims, many of whom die due to the scarcity of blood pints in hospitals across the land.
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Regarding the commissions targets, Dr. Amedu said, “we are targeting one million Nigerian regular unpaid blood donors, 100 per cent voluntary non-remunerated blood donors, increased innovation and use of technology as well as reduce adverse blood transfusion reactions and events.”
Accordin to him, blood establishments in the country must be regulated because of the “the need to ensure that the quality of blood collected, screened and transfused to patients is optimal and unlikely to be a source of harm,” stressing that each single unit of donated blood and blood product is screened for the World Health Organization mandated blood-borne infections including HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Syphilis.
During her welcome address, Dr. Adaeze Oreh, the Head of Planning, Research and Statistics of the commission, said that blood transfusion has contributed to saving millions of lives worldwide. She said that as a result, every country is expected to put in place “policies, a legislative framework, systems, and structures to ensure the safety, quality, accessibility, and timely availability of blood and blood products to meet the needs of all patients who require transfusion.”
She pointed out the expected outcomes of the sensitization program that also included improved citizen engagement and contribution to a national strategic safe blood reserve, with ready access to safe blood nationwide; enhanced citizen access to safe blood as an indicator of effective health system strengthening; achievement of universal health coverage and Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, through stakeholder participation as well as a clear demonstration of what is achievable when different organisations partner and collaborate for public good.
Some Organisations such as the National Orientation Agency, World Health Organization, WHO, Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, National Agency for the Control of AIDS, NACA, amongst others, gave their goodwill.
