Blood for Transfusion Must Bear Lagos State Logo, Commissioner Tells Operators

Martins Ifijeh

The Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, Dr. Jide Idris, has ordered that certified blood for transfusion must bear the logo of the state government as a means of establishing its quality and credibility.

Idris who made the disclosure yesterday at a press conference organised by the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service to commemorate the year 2016 World Blood Donor Day urged families of patients to take note and report such cases even as he warned that erring public and private blood banks who fail to put the logo shall henceforth be sanctioned.

He advised that all private blood banks in the Lagos should be registered with the state Blood Transfusion Service for effective monitoring and quality control.

While highlighting the objectives of this year’s campaign which according to him include appreciating donors for their lifesaving gift of blood and focusing attention on blood services as a community service, he emphasised the need to create wider publicity and sensitization of the populace on the need to show commitment to regular voluntary unpaid donations which translates to self-sufficiency in safe blood and blood products based on 100 per cent voluntary and unpaid donations drive.

“We need to create wider public awareness on the need for regular, unpaid blood donation and inspire young, healthy people who have not yet keyed in to start donating with a view to have a robust blood bank,” he remarked.
He stated that voluntary blood donors are known to be the foundation of adequate supply of safe blood due to lower prevalence of Transmission Transmissible Infections (TTIs), adding that voluntary donors can walk-in to any of the 21 public hospitals with blood banks as well as three standalone blood donor centers to donate blood.

The commissioner stated that the standalone centers are located at the General Hospital, Lagos, Lagos State College of Health Technology (LASCOHET) and Alimosho General Hospital, Igando.

Answering to a question on why husbands of pregnant women are being asked to donate blood, Idris explained that such arrangement is important in case the woman has hemorrhage and as a result, needs blood.
He explained that a cumulative average of 70, 000 units of blood is required annually adding that in 2015, 32, 619 units of blood were donated in public health facilities stressing that only 4, 175 (13per cent) were sourced from voluntary donors while 33 per cent and 54per cent were sourced from replacement and antenatal donors respectively.

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