Nigeria: How Our Blood Safety Runs At the Mercy of Foreigners

Blood transfusion saves lives and helps improve the health of patients, but to achieve this, the blood must be safe. The need for transfusion amongst Nigerians is high, and this is upped with casualties from bomb blasts, insurgency, communal crises and accidents, among others. However, the Nigerian government has neglected its role in ensuring blood safety in thehealth care system.

Blood safety, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) encompasses actions aimed at ensuring that everyone has access to blood and blood products that are as safe as possible; available at reasonable cost, adequate to meet the needs of patients, transfused only when necessary, and provided as part of a sustainable blood programme within the existing health care system.

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