Experts advocate for healthy blood bank system
On June 14 every year, countries celebrate World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) as experts’ advocates on the healthy blood bank system and that Nigeria has a major blood shortage problem
This year’s World Blood Donor Day is focused on blood donations in emergency situation.
According to World Health Organisation, there are estimated to be 112.5 million blood donations around the globe – with half of these in high income countries.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that only one percent (1 per cent) of a country’s population needs to donate blood regularly.
Fifty-seven countries collect 100% of their blood from voluntary and unpaid donors, WHO adds.
Joy Ikhidie, a Laboratory Scientist based in Lagos dismissed the myth in some quarters that donors are affected medically when they donate blood.
“It is not everybody that can donate, only healthy people aged 18 -65 are likely to donate blood”
“You must attain certain criteria before you donate, which include; you must be 50 kg and above, blood pressure must be normal, PVC must be at an acceptable level to avoid any unforeseen crisis”, said Joy.
She further said, blood transfusion is an essential component of emergency health care. Emergencies increase the demand for blood transfusion and make its delivery challenging and complex.
“Adequate supply of blood during emergencies requires a well-organized blood service, and engaging the entire community and a blood donor population committed to voluntary unpaid blood donation throughout the year can only ensure this” added Joy.
She further added that donors who are affected with these diseases cannot donate blood; HIV positive, hepatitis B and C carrier, Syphilis positive.
Speaking to another expert Dele Olayemi a Laboratory Scientist in Ibadan, on blood donation, he made emphasis on the trend of lack of certified blood banks and blood in major hospitals.
“Due to this, there is sharp increase in mortality rate and death through lack of ready blood for transfusion during emergencies”
He advocates for government and private partnership to increase the campaign and create more awareness to encouraging blood donors to donate blood to save lives.
“Blood donation is not a situation we need to be scared of because we can all find ourselves in a situation where the need may arise for us to be transfused,” he said.
He also stressed on the need for proper blood screening to avoid a situation of transfusing unscreened blood to patients.
According to the WHO, the objectives of this year’s campaign are: to encourage all people to strengthen the emergency preparedness of health services in their community by donating blood; to engage authorities in the establishment of effective national blood donor programmes with the capacity to respond promptly to the increase in blood demand during emergencies; to promote the inclusion of blood transfusion services in national emergency preparedness and response activities; to build wider public awareness of the need for committed, year-round blood donation, in order to maintain adequate supplies and achieve a national self-sufficiency of blood; to celebrate and thank individuals who donate blood regularly and to encourage young people to become new donors as well; and to promote international collaboration and to ensure worldwide dissemination of and consensus on the principles of voluntary non-remunerated donation, while increasing blood safety and availability.
According to the WHO, a stable base of regular, voluntary donation, can assure unpaid blood donors an adequate and reliable supply of safe blood.
Anthonia Obokoh