Timely Access To Blood Can Mean Life Or Death – Expert

The medical director, Maternal and Child Centre (MCC), Eti-Osa, Lagos, Dr Olufemi Aletan, has asserted that timely access to blood can be the difference between life and death.

He cautioned that delays in obtaining blood during emergencies can pose serious risks to patients, particularly pregnant women and those with severe bleeding.

Aletan said this as the Lagos State government commenced a campaign to promote voluntary blood donation as a lifestyle, along with the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS), urging the residents to donate regularly to ensure blood is available when urgently needed.

He recalled occasions when the facility required fresh frozen plasma for patients, stressing that timely access to blood could determine whether a patient survived or not.

Aletan said MCC Eti-Osa had been working towards establishing its independent blood bank and commended LSBTS for its support.

He urged more residents, particularly husbands of pregnant women, to donate blood regularly, assuring them that the hospital would continue to strengthen its blood transfusion capacity to support safe antenatal care and deliveries.

Dwelling on their experiences, 13-time donor Mr Olawale Alaba said blood donation was simple and should not be reserved for emergencies involving relatives or friends. He urged eligible residents to donate every three months, describing it as a simple act that can make a major difference to someone in urgent need.

Another donor, Mr Taiwo Abifarin, who had donated twice, said he gave blood because he believed it was a way to save lives and give back to society. First-time donors, including Messrs Abdullahi Mohammed, Rabiu Abiodun and Gbadamosi Sulaiman, also encouraged residents to overcome fear and embrace voluntary donation, with Sulaiman describing it as a citizen’s responsibility after recalling his child’s previous need for blood.

Executive Secretary, Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS), Dr Bodunrin Osikomaiya, said the initiative was designed to raise awareness of voluntary blood donation and provide residents with opportunities to donate through the blood mobile stationed at the venue or at designated government hospitals.

Osikomaiya said the campaign would extend to other parts of the state, including Ojo, Ibeju-Lekki, Badagry, Epe and Lagos Island, stressing that the objective was to make safe blood readily available to residents.

She presented blood bags, gloves, sample bottles, donor forms, informational materials, and voluntary blood donation cards to support the facility’s blood collection efforts, explaining that donors who presented a voluntary blood donation card would be entitled to receive blood without out-of-pocket payment.