Commissioner Wants Women To Support Blood Donation

A charge has been given to women in Rivers State to support voluntary blood donation to help reduce maternal mortality.

The state Commissioner for Health, Tamunoiyoriari Sampson Parker, gave this charge at an event to mark this year’s World Blood Donors Day (WBDD) organized by Braithwatte Memorial Specialist Hospital.

Dr Parker said women suffer more from the devastating effect of the non-availability of safe blood saying that 90 per cent of available blood were used by women with complicated pregnancies.

Others who are also affected, according to the commissioner, were accident victims, children with severe  anemia, patients with sickle anemia and cancer.

Speaking at the event the launch of the safe blood initiative, chairman of the BMSH Blood Transfusion Committee, Dorothy Okoh, lamented that the hospital lacks the capacity to meet the increasing demand for safe blood and blood products.

Dr Okoh noted that the hospital’s blood bank unit was only able to provide about 45 per cent of all blood requirements at the hospital, adding that the blood is mostly donated by members of the patients family.

She said, “the hospital blood transfusion unit unfortunately does not have the capacity to adequately meet the increasing demand for blood and blood products, the unit is able to provide only about 45 per cent of blood requirements, mostly from family replacement donors.

The theme for this years WBDD celebration is “Every  blood donor is a hero”, which Dr Okoh said is celebrated June 14th of every year.

Tonye Nria-Dappa