The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, has said that Nigeria needs an estimated two million units of blood every year to cover its over 200 million population.
Speaking at the 2024 World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) Celebration in Abuja, Prof Pate said that much less is currently donated, resulting in preventable deaths, illnesses, and complications, particularly among women, newborns, children, and victims of accidents and conflicts.
The minister, who was represented by the Director of health planning, research, and statistics, Dr Chris Isokpunwu said this situation could improve significantly if just one per cent of Nigeria’s adult population regularly engaged in voluntary, unpaid blood donations.
He emphasized that the use of blood and its products has become essential in modern medical practice, highlighting that access to safe blood is crucial for effective healthcare systems.
Prof Pate also noted that more than 80 per cent of blood collected in Nigeria originates from family replacement and commercial donors.
He added that empirical evidence underscores regular, voluntary, unpaid donors as the most dependable and safest source of blood, contrasting with commercial sources.
“According to WHO 2023, out of the 118.5 million blood donations collected globally, 40 per cent of these are from high-income countries, which is about 16 per cent of the world’s population,” he said.
“The World Health Assembly resolution WHA63.12 urges all Member States to develop national blood systems based on voluntary unpaid donations and to work towards the goal of self-sufficiency.”
The minister urge the public to participate in voluntary blood donations to improve blood safety and quality.
Higher mortality
The Director General of the National Blood Service Commission (NBSC), Prof Saleh Yuguda, highlighted that recent data indicates a higher mortality rate due to insufficient access to blood and blood products compared to communicable diseases in developing nations.
Prof Yuguda said blood transfusion plays a critical role in healthcare, benefiting patients who face life-threatening conditions by helping them live longer and with higher quality of life.
“Additionally, blood transfusion supports complex medical and surgical procedures thus making it indispensable in maternal and child care and during man-made and natural disasters,” he said.
“Recent data indicates that more people are dying from lack of access to blood and blood products (because of road traffic accidents, obstetric haemorrhage, cancer-related bone marrow suppression, etc) than communicable diseases in developing countries.”
He noted that regular blood donations are needed all over the world to ensure individuals and communities have access to safe and quality-assured blood and blood products.
“Access to safe blood and blood products is also essential for universal health coverage and is a key component of effective systems,” he said.
WBDD
Every year on 14 June, countries around the world celebrate WBDD. The event, established in 2004, aims to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products, and to thank blood donors for their voluntary, life-saving gifts of blood.
The 2024 WBDD is themed ’20 years of celebrating giving: Thank you, blood donors!’
The WHO recommends that all activities related to blood collection, testing, processing, storage, and distribution be coordinated at the national level through effective organization and integrated blood supply networks.
In Nigeria, the NBSC was established in 2021 through the NBSC Act, 2021, with the mandate to coordinate, regulate, and ensure the provision of quality blood, blood products, and services in line with the National Health Plan.