Expert Decries Low Level Of Blood Donors In Nigeria

Nigeria has been said to
have less than 25 per cent of voluntary blood donors as against the 90-100 percent of America and 70 percent of most developing African countries.
Consultant Hematologist and Head of Department, Pathology, Dr. Hannah Omunakwe revealed this at the 2016 World Blood Donor Day celebration organised by the Rivers State Government in conjunction with the Rivers State Sustainable Development Goals office in Port Harcourt.
Delivering her lecture titled ‘Donor Health and the Quality of Donor Care as Critical Factors in Building Donor Commitment’, Omunakwe blamed the poor percentage on the low level of care of donors saying, however, that the percentage could be increased should there be a change in attitude of blood donation services.
Omunakwe who faulted the nation’s poor donor management system  called for an improvement to enhance the increase in availability of blood at the blood banks across the country.
She stated that the world Blood Donor Day was inaugurated at the 67th World Health Assembly (WHA) in 2004  aims at ensuring the sensitization of the people on voluntary blood donation which would translate to the availability of blood at the different health facilities for the blood transfusion needs of  patients.
She said “the quality of care builds the donor system to up to 75 – 100 percent. You just have to intensify care for donor and you will see them coming  for donation and enriching you blood banks.
While noting that the nation lacks a donor management system, Omunakwe said “as a responsibility of the blood donation service, you have the duty to care for your donors. We need to change our attitude and begin to practice what is obtainable in developed societies in order for us to compete favourably”.
Also speaking, the Chief Medical Director, Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital, Dr. Paul Kua averred that millions of people needed blood on a regular basis to meet up with their complex medical challenges and surgeries particularly cardiac surgeries.
Kua stated that the BMSH blood bank functions,  however, regrets the shortage in supply and availability of blood and blamed it on the low turn-out of voluntary donors.
He said “on emergencies, we only rely on patient’s immediate relatives for blood donation. Blood is what you cannot use something for.  It has to be blood and so  for a proper tackling of certain health challenges, blood donation has become needful even by volunteers moreso, it is a safe event”.
Kua revealed that the BMSH has been on sensitisation programmes to churches and other groups to get donations for blood, adding blood was not for sale and remained dynamic for dynamic purposes.
The BMSH CMD who lauded the donors for the bold step and concern for fellow citizens said the facility was looking forward to a situation where all blood used for transfusion was from voluntary donors by the year 2020.