The National Blood Service Commission, has vowed to drastically reduce the level of maternal deaths usually caused by unquantifiable blood loss during childbirth by women.
Speaking during a press briefing with the sponsor of the Bill now an Act Hon. Abas Tajudeen and Director General of the agency, Dr. Omale Joseph on Thursday had explained that not less than 15 percent of every 1,000 women die due to blood loss during childbirth, urging Nigerians to imbibe the practice of donating blood.
“As you donate blood, you’re saving life, and not only that, research has shown that people who donate blood regularly live more healthy”, he submitted.
According to the DG, the Commission was putting the mechanism in place to check sharp practices by hospitals in the use of blood for patients, adding that through its One Million Safe Blood Initiative, it was expected that safe blood will be accessible for Nigerians in the six geopolitical zones of the country at any point in time.
According to hm, the Commission which had the three core mandates of “regulation, coordination and ensuring the provision of safe blood to the people”, gave the assurance that plans were already in top gear to ensuring that wastage of stored blood is halted through the use of expired blood for the production of usable components, noting that a safe blood had a viable lifespan of between 30 and 35 days.
Fielding question on how Nigerians could be encouraged to have their blood groups handy to help in cases of emergency, the DG disclosed that for a start, the Commission was already collaborating with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), to ensure that drivers’ licenses are issued with the holdders’ blood IDs.
Speaking earlier, Hon. Tajudeen described President Muhammadu Buhari’s assent to the Bill as “a very important milestone achieved in the health sector”, as according to him, blood transfusion before now had been largely unregulated, with a lot of sharp practices involved.
The lawmaker said available statistics had shown that over 40 percent of voluntarily donated blood was unsafe for use, with majority of donors doing so for monetary gains, adding that in some cases, recipients ended up being infected with diseases, but that with the Commission in place, a lot of such issues will be addressed.
The Commission’s enabling legislation which was introduced by Hon. Tajudeen in the House of Representatives was passed in March, 2021, got Senate’s concurrence in June same year and subsequently was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.
