According to Dr. Olusegun Ogboye, permanent secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, the Lagos State Government plans to increase the total amount of donated blood, which is currently over 115,000 units, to 200,000 units in order to meet its annual blood needs and the WHO’s recommended estimate of blood requirement per population.
In addition to the recorded increase in donated blood in Lagos to over 115,000 units, according to Ogboye, who made this disclosure on Sunday while reviewing the scheduled activities planned by the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS) to observe World Blood Donor Day in Lagos in 2023, the LSBTS has been able to screen every unit of blood collected in the State.
The Permanent Secretary mentioned that LSBTS also creates blood components, including Fresh Frozen Plasma, Cryo-precipitates, and Platelet Concentrates from 90% of freely donated blood with decentralised storage to assure convenient access. “LSBTS has established a combination of decentralised blood services at its blood distribution, screening, and certification units with a highly centralised post-collection blood processing, specifically component manufacture as well as regulatory, monitoring, and enforcement activities,” the official stated.
Since its founding in June 2004, the LSBTS has boosted access to safe blood, reduced the threat of quack medicine, and enhanced the quality of blood supplied by the government. The number of voluntary blood donation centres in public and private health facilities has increased thanks to Mr. Governor, and the haemovigilance programme has also been strengthened in accordance with best practises from around the world to guarantee safe blood processing.
Speaking about the planned events for World Blood Donor Day in Lagos in 2023, the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service, Dr. Biodun Osikomaiya, revealed that the Lagos State Ministry of Health, through the LSBTS, will observe WBBD with a three-day event that includes a Youth Extravaganza, a facility tour for students from Lagos State Secondary Schools, and a symposium and scientific conference.
She stated that on Thursday, June 8, pupils from the Lagos State Secondary School were invited to see the LSBTS headquarters, which is housed inside the grounds of the Gbagada Medical Hospital. The Adeyemi Bero Auditorium in Alausa Ikeja will host a symposium and scientific conference on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, to honour World Blood Donor Day, according to Osikomaiya.
“International blood donor day is a day of global observation, celebrated every year on June 14 all around the world,” she stated. This event aims to increase public awareness of the urgent need for safe blood and blood products, to thank blood donors for their priceless gift of blood’s ability to save lives, and to encourage healthy people to volunteer as blood donors.
