The National Blood Service Commission (NBSC) has pledged to drastically reduce maternal mortality induced by blood loss during childbirth.
At a media briefing, Monday, director general of the commission, Dr. Omale Joseph, alongside sponsor of the agency’s establishment bill, now an Act of the National Assembly, Abas Tajudeen, stated that not less than 15 percent of every 1,000 women die due to blood loss during childbirth.
He urged Nigerians to imbibe the practice of donating blood saying, “As you donate blood, you’re saving life, and not only that, research has shown that people who donate blood regularly live more healthy.”
The DG said 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.
He stated further that 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 ensure that wastage of stored blood is halted through the use of expired blood for the production of usable components. He noted 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 stated 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 holders’ blood IDs.
Speaking earlier, Tajudeen described President 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 have shown that over 40 percent of voluntarily donated blood was unsafe for use, with majority of donors doing so for monetary gains.
