Haematologist Wants Blood Transfusion Commission

A haematologist, Prof. Sulaimon Akanmu has called on the Federal Government to accelerate the process of establishing a Blood Transfusion Service Commission to ensure steady, robust and safe blood banks in the country.
Akanmu, who is a former President of the Nigerian Society of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NSHBT), made the call in an interview with newsmen in Lagos, yesterday.
He said that establishing the commission would address the problems confronting blood transfusion service in the nation.
The haematologist said that the establishment of the commission was urgently needed in Nigeria to correct the blood supply deficit and increase the pool of voluntary (non-remunerated) blood donors.
According to him, this is expected to significantly improve blood transfusion safety and positively impact on health indices in the country.
“The NBTS will be able to have a proper mandate to provide safe, quality and adequate blood in an equitable and cost-effective manner to all people resident in Nigeria.
“The National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) and its regional blood collection centres, under the Federal Ministry of Health have gone `comatose’ since 2013”, he said.
“Furthermore, the operations of NBTS have been impeded due to inadequate budgetary allocation and the withdrawal of PEPFAR funding.