Home » 2023 WBDD: Lagos Targets 200,000 Units of Blood From Voluntary Donors

2023 WBDD: Lagos Targets 200,000 Units of Blood From Voluntary Donors

  ....To Commemorate 2023 WBDD with Donor Drives, Symposium

by Silverbird News24

… Intensifies Awareness Campaign on Blood Donation, Safe Blood Transfusion Practice

Lagos State Government is increasing its total number of donated blood which is presently at over 115,000 units to 200,000 units to meet its annual blood requirements and the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended estimate of blood requirement per population, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye has said.

Ogboye who disclosed this today while reviewing scheduled activities lined up by the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS) to commemorate 2023 World Blood Donor Day in Lagos, disclosed that apart from the recorded increase in donated blood in Lagos to over 115,000 units, the LSBTS has been able to screen 100 percent of all units of blood collected in the State.

The Permanent Secretary noted that LSBTS also produces blood components including Fresh Frozen Plasma, Cryoprecipitates and Platelet Concentrates from 90 percent of voluntarily donated blood with the decentralization of its storage to ensure easy accessibility.

He said: “LSBTS has adopted a hybrid of decentralized blood services at its blood collection, distribution, screening and certification units with a highly centralized post-collection blood processing specifically component production as well as regulatory, monitoring, enforcement activities.

“Since the its establishment in June 2004, LSBTS has increased the availability of safe blood, curbed the menace of quackery and improved the quality of the blood provided by the state. Facilitated by Mr. Governor, there has been an increase in the number of voluntary blood donation centres in public and private health facilities with accompanied strengthening of the haemovigilance program according to international best practices to ensure safe blood processes”.

Ogboye also disclosed that the LSBTS has commence the process for complete automation in the screening and certification of blood for transfusion transmissible infections, implementation of the LSBTS Blood Inventory Management System and extended phenotyping of blood group antigens to reduce the incidence of adverse events in blood transfusion.

Speaking on scheduled activities to commemorate year 2023 World Blood Donor Day in Lagos, the Executive Secretary, LSBTS, Dr. Biodun Osikomaiya disclosed that the Lagos State Ministry of Health through the LSBTS will commemorate WBBD with a three-day event comprising Youth Extravaganza; Lagos State Secondary School Student LSBTS facility tour and Symposium and Scientific Conference.

She explained that the Youth Extravaganza themed “Count Me In: Each 1, Reach 5” will hold at the Red Cross Society Hall Premises, Ebute- Metta on Saturday 3rd June, 2023 adding that Lagos State Secondary School students are also scheduled to come on tour of LSBTS facilities at the headquarters, located within the premises of Gbagada General Hospital on Thursday 8th June, 2023.

Osikomaiya further explained that a Symposium and Scientific Conference to commemorate the World Blood Donor Day will hold on Wednesday 14th June, 2023 at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium in Alausa Ikeja.

She said: “World blood donor day is a day of global observance, celebrated all around the world on the 14th of June yearly. This event is meant to raise awareness on the crucial need for safe blood and blood products, to thank blood donors for saving lives with their precious gift of blood and to recruit healthy individuals to be voluntary blood donors.

“The slogan for the Y2023 WBDD campaign is ‘Give Blood, Give Plasma, Share Life, Share Often’. The access to a secure blood and blood component supply, based on voluntary unpaid donation is vital for all patients including many requiring emergency need and life-long blood transfusions for conditions such as post-natal hemorrhage, accident victims, sickle-cell anaemia and haemophilia”.

Osikomaiya noted that her agency is intensifying awareness, sensitization and advocacy campaign to increase voluntary blood donation to meet the state blood requirement and safe blood transfusion services.

Expressing delight that the effort of LSBTS is yielding the desired result with evident increase in voluntarily donated blood, She noted that one pint of donated blood can save three lives adding that this is why efforts are being intensified by the State government to meet and surpass the State blood requirement through recruiting and retaining voluntary blood donors.

Emphasizing the huge demand for blood and the need for voluntary blood donation, Osikomaiya disclosed that about 37% of the population are eligible and clinically fit to donate blood stressing that someone is always in need of blood every two seconds.

The Executive Secretary noted that eligible citizens can donate blood by walking into any of LSBTS dedicated voluntary blood donation centers at General Hospital Lagos and General Hospital Gbagada or the voluntary blood donation center at the Accident and Emergency Center, located at the old Toll Gate and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja to donate blood at any time.

 

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