NBTS screens 62,303 units of blood in 2016
NAN-HG-2
Blood
By Olasunkanmi Onifade
Abuja, Jan. 26, 2017 (NAN) The National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) says it has screened about 62,303 units of blood between 2015 and 2016 across the country.
The National Coordinator of the centre, Mrs Oluwatoyin Smith, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.
Smith said: “It is a positive development, but we are not there yet; we have a gap.
“The blood contributed by voluntary donors for Nigeria is about one per cent of the population and we have a population of about 170 million.
“There is a gap of about 400,000 blood units that can save lives of women with prospatum haemorrage, incidents of national emergencies, victims of road accidents, children with sickle cell and anaemia as well as cancer patients,” she said.
Smith also said about one to five million units were collected in various levels of screening in hospital facilities.
However, she encouraged Nigerians to donate blood to save lives, saying women can donate blood every four months, while men every three months.
Smith said there was no risk in donating blood, adding that donating blood enhances the production of new blood cells.
“Nigerians should cultivate a habit of donating blood; you might just be saving yours and a life of someone close to you.
“An individual between the age of 18 and 65 is a prospective donor, a body weight of 50kg and above, haemoglobin level of 12gm/dl and above, but a person with chronic illness, acute malaria or infection is not allowed to donate,” she said. (NAN)
OEO/HS/MST
Edited by Halima Sheji/Muhammad Suleiman Tola