Agency urges Nigerians to donate blood

THE National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS), Abuja centre has said its targeted blood collection for 2012 is 6,000 units and urged women to intensify efforts at donation.Coordinator of NBTS, Abuja centre, Dr. Adaeze Oreh told The Guardian yesterday that 'by next year, we should collect about 6,000 units (of blood). As of January to September 2011, we had collected about 4,000 units.'Speaking at an interactive session on the role of the media and telecommunications firms in Voluntary non-Remunerated Donors' awareness creation and drafting of a memorandum of understanding, Oreh pleaded: 'My hope is that our female donor proportion will be increased and a higher percentage of women will donate blood next year and also add to the pool of blood donated.'The coordinator said that the meeting was to strengthen collaboration with the media to get public awareness to the level where more people will be motivated to donate blood.Country Director of Safe Blood for Africa Foundation, Idris Saliu, said that good media relationship was a panacea for creating good image for NBTS. He stressed the importance of establishing national blood service centers in the country.'Nigeria is a country that had risen from a civil war and still has no blood donation services. It is not too late. Though we are not at war, we have lost many people to bomb blast and other disasters,' he said.Nigeria's annual blood need, according to the World Health Organization, is about 1.5 million units per annum and is only about one per cent of the population.
Click here to read full news..