The National Blood Transfusion Service,(NBTS) in collaboration with Trauma Care International Foundation, (TCIF) has expressed concern over the daily decline in the number of blood donors in the country.
Addressing a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday, TCIF Senior Executive Officer Dr. Olajumoke Akisanya who advocated for an increase in the number of voluntary blood donors said that the least expected daily number of donors per day ought to be 30 to meet the need of the public.
While calling on 10,000 voluntary blood donors for registration, Akisanya who was represented by the Chairman of the TCIF board, Dr Deola Philips lamented that many lives have been lost due to non availability of blood for transfusion or funds to procure blood for transfusion in the nations hospitals.
She said, ” poised to make a difference, we are using this platform to advocate for an increase in the number of voluntary (unpaid) blood donors; because this category of donors are those that stay in good health and have committed donation.
Most of us are more familiar with family/replacement donors and paid donors but these are not the ideal ways to run sustainable system for safe blood donation.
“According to the World Health Organisation, over 234 million major operations are performed worldwide every year, with 63 million people undergoing surgery for traumatic injuries, 31million for treating cancers, 10 million for pregnancy-related complications;
road traffic accidents kill 1.2million people and injure or disable between 20 to 50 million people yearly, a large portion of whom require blood transfusion during the first 24 hour treatment.
” These are huge figures and they depict just how important and necessary access to safe blood transfusion is in our society”.
She added that to play it’s part in saving more lives, the TCIF will be organising a voluntary blood donation drive with the aim to encourage the teeming population to make safe blood available to individuals and patients in dire need.
On his part a representative of the NBTS Dr. Christopher Otabor who also lamented that the annual donation of 1.8million pints of blood is far below the required need called on Nigerians to imbibe the habit of donating blood.
The NBTS official assured would-be donors of safety, saying “there will be adequate medical test for them to ascertain whether or not they are fit to donate or not.
“There will be Haemoglobin level test, pulse rate check, blood pressure check, weight check and other body checks.
“Blood is also tested for blood group and screened for some major blood-borne diseases which the donor is immediately informed in strict confidentially if any of these tests show positive results.”
Allaying the misconception among some donors that blood donation could be dangerous, she said “when blood is withdrawn the donor’s body immediately begins to replenish the lost blood.
“New cells are produced by the marrow within 48 hours of donation, and all of the red blood cells the donor loses during donation are completely replaced within one to two months.
“Therefore, donating blood helps to stimulate the production of new blood cells which helps the body stay healthy and work more efficiently.”
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