The Federal Ministry of Health has said that Nigeria required an estimated two 2 million units of blood per annum to adequately meet the blood requirements of the populace.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Abdullahi Mashi said this in Abuja at a news conference to commemorate World Blood Donor Day marked on June 14 with the theme: “Safe blood for all”.
He said that less blood was currently being donated thereby leading to avoidable deaths, morbidity or ill health, among the women folk, new-born and children, victims of road traffic accidents and insurgencies.
Mashi specifically noted that as long as the demand outstrips the supply, touting and racketeering of blood and blood products would continue to thrive.
He emphasised that the situation could only be improved if only one per cent of the country’s adult population commit themselves to voluntary non-remunerated blood donation on a regular basis.
According to Mashi, transfusion of blood and blood products save millions of lives every year and in fact, every few seconds, someone, somewhere needs blood.
