The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, on Friday said a draft Bill was being processed for consideration by the Federal Executive Council to ensure national blood donation coverage.
Chukwu, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Mrs. Fatima Bamidele, announced this when he briefed journalists at an event to mark the World Blood Donor Day in Abuja.
He added that efforts were on to have a centralised system of screening and testing of blood collected at selected centres.
“Also, the ministry is planning to establish linking hospitals in urban and rural areas, including the institution of blood rotation programme to increase access to units of safe blood,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the minister as saying at the forum.
According to the minister, only 10 per cent of blood supply is from Voluntary Non-Remunerated Blood Donors (VNRBD).
“All hands must to be on deck to achieve the target of 100 per cent of blood supplies from VNRBD by 2020.’’
He called on health workers and institutions to cooperate with the National Blood Transfusion Services (NBTS) to achieve zero transmission of HIV and other blood borne infections.
The Co-ordinator of NBTS, Dr. Oluwatoyin Smith, dismissed the impression that blood transfusion could cause infertility or mental disorders in receivers.
Smith said before a unit of blood was transfused; “it is cross-matched with that of the receiver. The blood group of the receiver is determined before transfusion.
“What we do is to ensure that there are enough units of safe blood supplies for those who need it and to ensure that the blood for each person matches,” she added.
Ms Sarah Ebaloghemen, a voluntary donor who had donated blood 19 times, said she started donating since 2006.
Ebaloghemen said she felt good being recognised as one of the highest donors in NBTS.
ABUJA: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
PORTHARCOURT: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
LAGOS: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
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