The Chairman of the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Committee, Dr. Adetoun Agbe-Davies, has called on all stakeholders in the health sector to intensify effort at ensuring that 100 per cent of all blood for transfusion should be from voluntary blood donors.
Agbe-Davies stated this on Sunday at the year 2014 annual free public health screening and awareness programme organized by The Muslim Congress of Mushin Local Government Area.
She stressed that the need to meet the year 2020 World Health Organization set goal that 100 per cent of all blood for transfusion should be from voluntary blood donors will go a long way in addressing issues of touting for blood donation as well as the demand for family replacement of blood through family donation for mothers at ante natal booking.
Agbe-Davies, who was represented at the event by a member of the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Committee, Serifat Lawal, urged everyone to imbibe the spirit of voluntary blood donation and also become repeat donors.
She said making safe blood available is a collective responsibility of everyone.
The chairman posited that creating awareness on the vital role of voluntary blood donation toward achieving the goal of saving lives and reducing deaths is very important because records have shown that quite a number of deaths are related to loss of blood.
She said: “We therefore cannot over emphasize the need to ensure availability of blood in our blood banks where patients who require blood transfusion can be readily supplied.
“That is why we are intensifying our awareness campaign to encourage more voluntary blood donors to join others who give their blood willingly and freely without knowing the recipients.”
Agbe-Davies noted that one of the strategies put in place to actualize the vision LSBTC to ensure that only safe blood will be transfused in Lagos State is to promote the recruitment of voluntary blood donors to ensure adequate supply of safe blood.
She also added that the state government is working towards attaining the WHO goal that mandated all countries to source blood only from voluntary blood donors 100 per cent by 2020.
The chairman expressed delight that many Lagosians are keying into the vision by responding positively to the clarion call to donate blood voluntarily to save lives, while also expressing her believe that many more of the good people of Lagos will join in the crusade and also enrol to become voluntary blood donors.
She said: “The number of voluntary blood donors has been increasing regularly since the inception of Lagos State Blood Transfusion Committee and is currently ten times more; 4755 in 2013 than what the committee started with; 474 in the year 2006. We hope that more people will take interest in helping others to save their lives.”
Agbe-Davies outlined the efforts made by the blood transfusion committee to attract and retain voluntary blood donors to include; promoting attitudinal change in the health personnel who attend to the donors; creating a conducive environment for blood donation; establishing blood donor centres outside of hospital premises, planning on the acquisition of blood mobile – a vehicle for walk-in blood donation and exemption of screening fees for volunteers should they themselves require blood transfusion.
“The retention of these voluntary blood donors is also very important to us and this is why the State government is putting it as a policy to exempt voluntary blood donors who themselves require blood from paying screening fees. Before now they are only exempted from replacement of blood and not screening fees,” the chairman said.
Agbe-Davies explained that voluntary blood donors are processed through eligibility criteria before donation stressing that they must be between 18 years and 65 years and must be physically fit.
She added that voluntary blood donors may be referred for treatment if required and given heamatinics and vitamins adding also that refreshment and souvenirs are given routinely while they are also remembered on their birthdays, festive period and reminded when due for next donation via SMS.
“All these have impacted positively on the donors resulting in an increase in repeat voluntary donations. From 474 units of blood from voluntary donors in 2004, we had 4,775 units in 2013 and from January to June 14, 2014 we had 1,888 units,” Agbe-Davies stated.
She opined that the campaign for voluntary blood donation will increase awareness about why it is important to have safe blood and blood products when required by patients especially pregnant mothers during pregnancy and child birth stressing that it is an important strategy in the prevention of maternal deaths and major component of the comprehensive Lagos State Maternal and Child Mortality Reduction Programme.
Earlier, the Chairman of The Muslim Congress, Adebayo Jubril Abdulwahab, explained that the Free Public Health Programme, which includes free diabetes test, blood pressure check, voluntary blood donation drive, HIV screening, medical consultation, free eye test, dental care and free drugs, is a gesture of the TMC at keeping the populace alive and healthy.
Abdulwahab added that public health programme is aimed at creating awareness about diseases with public health significance, especially diabetes, adding also that the programme intends to encourage healthy lifestyle and regular exercise amongst the populace.
He said: “Our annual free public health programme this year is to commemorate the year 2014 World Diabetes Day.
“The world diabetes day led by International Diabetes Foundation, is celebrated worldwide on November 14 in response to the growing concerns of escalating health threat posed by diabetes.”