WRITTEN BY PETER KATCHY

Every fourteenth June, countries around the world mark World Blood Donor Day. The event serves 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. Transfusion of blood and blood products help save millions of lives every year. They help patients suffering from life-threatening conditions to live longer and with higher quality of life.

Blood donation equally supports complex medical and surgical procedures. It has an essential, life-saving role in maternal and prenatal care. Access to safe and sufficient blood and blood products can help reduce death and disability due to severe bleeding during delivery and after childbirth.

In many countries, there is not an adequate supply of safe blood. An adequate supply can only be assured through regular donations by voluntary unpaid blood donors. The goal of World Health Organization is for all countries to obtain all their blood supplies from voluntary unpaid donors by 2020.

Nigeria needs about two million units of blood annually, according to the federal Ministry of Health. The Ministry however laments that only twenty-five thousand units are collected annually, which is very far from the required need. 

The Theme for 2019 World Blood Donor Day is: SAFE BLOOD FOR ALL. The main purpose of the day is to thank voluntary and unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood and also to raise awareness of the need for regular blood donations to ensure that all individuals and communities have access to affordable and timely supplies of safe and quality assured blood.

It also focuses on the fact that it is important to give blood regularly, so that the blood stock is sufficient before an emergency arises. The first issue at stake is the need for blood donations. Blood shortages are problematic in virtually all nations, but especially in developing countries where clean equipment and sterile practices may be scarce. According to W.H.O, over ninety million people donate blood every year, but there is still a global shortage. Blood donations are imperative to life saving procedures, as well as to help people with certain chronic illnesses live longer. If everyone, who is able, voluntarily donates blood, there might not be such a shortage.

The lives and health of millions of people are affected by emergencies every year. In the last decade, disasters have caused more than one million deaths, with more than 250 million people being affected by emergencies every year. Natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods create considerable needs for emergency health care, while at the same time, often destroying vital health facilities. Man-made disasters such as road accidents and armed conflicts also generate substantial health care demands and the need for front-line treatment.

While Blood Donor Day provides an opportunity to call to action, blood donors are also celebrated. Equally, while it is good to publicly thank donors for saving lives, it is equally necessary to request others to donate blood.

Happily, the administration of Governor Willie Obiano has done a lot to move the health system of Anambra State forward. State-owned Hospitals and health centres in Anambra State have been appropriately financed and equipped with the state of the art infrastructural installations, staffing and management.

Thus, rapid response to health situations and disaster emergency situations of any sort have been expanded and enhanced with the available human and material resources. Therefore, every healthy person should go to any public hospital to donate safe blood, while those in need of such blood should equally visit such hospitals for free safe blood.

The insinuation that a person can die while donating blood is not true, rather, blood donation makes the donor healthier and stronger. Now is the time therefore to call on the people of Anambra State to develop the habit of engaging in voluntary Blood Donation as a way of life in order to enable the State and country meet the requirements of the demand for safe blood transfusion services in emergency situations.

There is every assurance that voluntary donated safe blood cannot be sold to the needed patients in any Government-owned hospital. Nigerians, thank you for saving the lives of others by your voluntary safe blood donation.

All hands must be on deck to achieve safe and quality blood for all.

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