The Lagos State government is targeting to increase its total number of donated blood currently at over 115,000 units to 200,000 units to meet its annual blood requirements and the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended estimate of blood requirement per population, Olusegun Ogboye, the permanent secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health has said.
He stated that the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS) has been able to screen 100 percent of all units of blood collected in the state, apart from the recorded increase in donated blood in Lagos to over 115,000 units.
The disclosure came during the review of activities lined up by the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS) to commemorate 2023 World Blood Donor Day in Lagos.
The LSBTS also produces blood components including fresh frozen plasma, cryoprecipitates and platelet concentrates from 90 percent of voluntarily donated blood with the decentralisation of its storage to ensure easy accessibility.
“LSBTS has adopted a hybrid of decentralised blood services at its blood collection, distribution, screening and certification units with a highly centralised post-collection blood processing specifically component production as well as regulatory, monitoring, enforcement activities,” he said.
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Since 2004, Ogboye said the agency has increased the availability of safe blood, curbed the menace of quackery and improved the quality of the blood provided by the state.
In addition, there has been an increase in the number of voluntary blood donation centres in public and private health facilities with accompanied strengthening of the haemovigilance programme according to international best practices to ensure safe blood processes.
The LSBTS has commenced the process for complete automation in the screening and certification of blood for transfusion transmissible infections, implementation of the LSBTS Blood Inventory Management System, and extended phenotyping of blood group antigens to reduce the incidence of adverse events in blood transfusion.
Speaking on scheduled activities to commemorate the 2023 World Blood Donor Day in Lagos, Biodun Osikomaiya, the executive secretary of LSBTS said the service will commemorate WBBD with a three-day event comprising youth extravaganza; Lagos State secondary school student LSBTS facility tour and symposium and scientific conference.
“World blood donor day is a day of global observance, celebrated all around the world on the 14th of June yearly. This event is meant to raise awareness about the crucial need for safe blood and blood products, to thank blood donors for saving lives with their precious gift of blood, and to recruit healthy individuals to be voluntary blood donors.
“The slogan for the Y2023 WBDD campaign is ‘give blood, give plasma, share life, share often’. The access to a secure blood and blood component supply, based on voluntary unpaid donation is vital for all patients including many requiring emergency need and life-long blood transfusions for conditions such as post-natal hemorrhage, accident victims, sickle-cell anaemia and haemophilia”.
Osikomaiya noted that her service is intensifying awareness, sensitization and advocacy campaign to increase voluntary blood donation to meet the state blood requirement and safe blood transfusion services.
She explained that a pint of donated blood can save three lives adding that this is why efforts are being intensified by the State government to meet and surpass the State blood requirement through recruiting and retaining voluntary blood donors.
Emphasizing the huge demand for blood and the need for voluntary blood donation, Osikomaiya disclosed that about 37 percent of the population are eligible and clinically fit to donate blood, stressing that someone is always in need of blood every two seconds.
The executive secretary noted that eligible citizens can donate blood by walking into any of LSBTS dedicated voluntary blood donation centres.
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