Medical experts call for more voluntary blood donation

Medical experts call for more voluntary blood donation
Judith Ukoh, Lagos

Medical practitioners have called for more participation in voluntary blood donation, describing it as a medium to save more lives.

A Nigerian Doctor, Austin Okotie, said this on Monday in Lagos, as Nigerian Medical practitioners begin activities to mark this year’s World Blood Day on June 14.

Speaking on the need for increased participation in blood donation, Dr Okotie said that donating blood was safe, describing as baseless, the fear to give out blood by some people, as it was not in any way harmful.

He explained that a healthy human body had enough blood to sustain it and giving out blood would not lead to a blood shortage.

Dr Okotie, however, discouraged the donation of blood without proper certification by a doctor as there were some cases where a person is unfit to donate blood. Such cases he noted; include people with HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis and many other venereal diseases.

He also warned private laboratories from buying blood from blood hawkers who are only looking for a means to make money.

He encouraged regular check-up by everyone to ensure people know their status prior a situation to donate blood.

Saving more lives

With the theme, “More blood, More life,” this year’s World Blood Donor Day dwells on the need for more people all over the world to become life-savers by volunteering to donate blood regularly.

June 14 is set aside by World Health Organisation (WHO) annually as a day to recognize the millions of people who save lives and improve the health of others by donating blood.

The Day highlights the need to regularly give blood to prevent shortages in hospitals and clinics, particularly in developing countries where quantities are very limited.

The annual event focuses on motivating more people to become blood donors.

It demonstrates how health systems and policy-makers work to make blood transfusions safe and accessible to people worldwide.

Williams