Health
THE Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole has called on eligible Nigerians to always donate blood voluntarily, to bridge the shortfall required to save lives.
Adewole made the call in Abuja on Thursday at a news conference organised by the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) as part of activities to mark the 2018 World Blood Donors’ Day.
According to him, those who donate blood often live healthier than those who do not.
Adewole said: “The donation and transfusion of blood have been of tremendous help to millions of lives.
“They play essential life-saving roles for people under maternal and child care, emergency response and natural disaster.
“We must not undermine the fact that patients who require blood still do not have timely access to safe blood.
“We can only ensure adequate supply of blood through regular donations by voluntary and unpaid blood donors, who are usually motivated by self-sacrifice and social responsibility.”
He noted that only 10 per cent of the 1.8 units of estimated blood required had been actualised in Nigeria.
In her remark, the National Co-ordinator of NBTS, Dr. Oluwatoyin Smith, said that the act of blood donation could benefit both the recipient and the donor.
According to her, blood donors experience fulfilment knowing that they save lives by their action.
She added that their contributions re-energize them there by enabling them to enjoy regular free health checks and tests.
“After blood donation is carried out, new blood cells are replicated to make it easy for blood circulation in the body,” Smith said.
The national co-ordinator, therefore, urged the media to always the public to the need to donate blood as doing so would save lives.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the day is celebrated globally on June 14 of every year to draw attention to the need for voluntarily blood donation. (NAN)
June 15, 2018 @ 11:35 GMT |
Tags: FG wants eligible Nigerians to donate more blood voluntarily to save lives
