Blood drive initiative advocate voluntary blood donation

The landmark discovery of the ABO blood group system by Karl Landsteiner in 1900 paved way for easy transfusion of blood and blood products from one individual to another. The need to continue to ensure that blood is available for continuous use for human transfusion is so enormous.

World health organization (WHO) advocates and recommends to her member states to develop national blood transfusion service (NBTS) based on voluntary non-remunerated regular blood donation (VNRBD) in accordance with WHO assembly resolution 28.72, which was adopted in 1975. Nigeria as a member state is a signatory to this resolution.

Statistics available shows that Nigeria is yet to achieve the state of 100% VNRBD unlike 57 countries around the world as at June 2010. Achieving this state is crucial to the achievement of the millennium development goals and a better health service to the populace.

NBTS statistics shows that, 1 out of every 5 children dies before their 5th birthday; 1 out of every 10 women who dies during pregnancy of childbirth is as a result of bleeding; 9 out of 10 people who need blood transfusion may not get safe blood; and 1 in every 2 accidents on our roads is usually critical.

The fate of those in need of blood should not be put in the hands of paid donors or family replacement donors but in the hands of voluntary donors (i.e. those who give blood for storage at the blood bank for transfusion to an unknown recipient) who are you and I.

The benefit of being a voluntary non-remunerated blood donor cannot be quantified materially, it is humanitarian as you are giving a gift of life and saving a life. Health benefits of being a voluntary blood donor are ; it reduces the risk of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases; the bone marrow (source of blood production) is put to use more frequently which reduces the risk of developing blood cancer ;donors have greater access to there health monitoring when they donate; and also free laboratory screening for HIV ,Hepatitis B and C and Syphilis .

Blood drive initiative (BDI) an organization with the desire to provide safe and sustainable blood supply to meet the rising need for blood and blood products in the country that “the average, educated,healthy and well- to-do’’ citizen of this country whose life style is compatible with the criteria for a healthy donor do not donate blood unless compelled by circumstances this shouldn’t be the attitude of citizenry to blood donation but should be altruistic. Towards this BDI , a youth-based organization is in the front gear of canvassing for 100% voluntary non remunerative blood donation in Nigeria by currently operating from University based detachment such as LAUTECH (Oshogbo and Ogbomosho), UNIILORIN, EBSU ,UI,UNAAB, UNICAL ,UNIILAG , FEDPOLY EDE and our foremost detachment ,here AAU Ekpoma .

Join BDI and other organizations in this humanitarian efforts to ensure that Nigeria achieve 100% voluntary non remunerated regular blood donation by given what science has not been able to create nor money can buy.

Adekoga Adeniji ,N.
Coordinator, BDI A.A.U. Detachment,
Ekpoma, Edo state.
08033949820