Association, NMA, yesterday, condemned
commercial blood donation in the country,
saying that it was against the Voluntary Non-
Remunerated Blood Donation, VNRBD,
approved by the World Health Organisation,
WHO.
Speaking at different fora to mark the World
Blood Donor Day, WBDD, today, the state
government and NMA, said though voluntary
donation was low in Nigeria, donation for
commercial purpose portended a great danger to
provision of an effective and efficient blood
transfusion system in the country.
At a briefing, Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide
Idris, faulted blood donation for non-altruistic
reasons, warning that the state would, if notified,
clampdown on any centre that perpetrated such
act in Lagos.
According to him, "The paid donor is likely to
involve in other activities for money as well and
will most likely not be living a healthy lifestyle.
In addition, they stress the health system
unnecessarily as the blood has to be discarded
after the rigorous and strict screening process
when the blood is found to be unwholesome.
This is why we join the rest of the world every
year in celebrating our voluntary donors who
give the gift that saves lives on a daily basis."
On the theme of this year's celebration tagged:
"Give the Gift of Life: Donate Blood" Idris
lamented that "only approximately 8 per cent of
all the blood transfused is from voluntary
donations adding that it is a far cry from the 100
per cent target set by the WHO for the whole
world to achieve by 2020"
On its part, NMA President, Dr. Osahon
Enabulele, said blood transfusion was a life
saving procedure without which complex
medical and surgical procedures, maternal and
child health care activities and trauma care
would not produce expected results.
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