Lagos government urges public to embrace voluntary blood donation

A medical practitioner, Dr Adeotun Agbe-Davies, on Saturday urged the public to imbibe the culture of voluntary blood donation to save more lives.
Agbe-Davies, who is the Chairman, Lagos State Blood Transfusion Committee (LSBTC), made the call at a media briefing to commemorate the World Blood Donor Day in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the World Blood Donor Day is held annually on June 14 to encourage voluntary blood donation across the world.

The theme of this year’s celebration is: “Thank You for Saving My Life, Give Freely, Give often, Blood Donation Matters.’’
Agbe-Davies called for collaborative efforts to support the drive to ensure that 100 per cent of blood for transfusion is taken from voluntary blood donors.
According to her, the recruitment of voluntary blood donors is a major activity of the LSBTC to ensure that safe blood starts with the voluntary donor.
”These people are often repeat donors and they help to ensure that safe blood is available,” she said.
Agbe-Davies said that there was the need to meet the year 2020 World Health Organisation set goal that 100 per cent of all blood for transfusion should be from voluntary blood donors.
She said that this would address the issue of touting for blood donation and the demand for family replacement of blood through family donation for mothers at ante-natal booking.
Agbe-Davies explained that the state had been in the forefront of ensuring the safety of blood for transfusion with the enactment of a law marked No 10, June 1, 2004 which established the LSBTC.
She said that the committee was empowered by the law to regulate and coordinate blood transfusion service in the state under the supervision of the state Ministry of Health.
According to her, the vision is to have a state where only safe blood is transfused in all appropriate health facilities, and to provide safe blood through the recruitment of voluntary blood donors.
The chairman said that intending voluntary blood donors could visit the blood donation centres in all the designated state-owned health facilities.
She also said that intending voluntary blood donors and the general public could also contact the headquarters of the Blood Transfusion Service inside the General Hospital, Lagos.
NAN