As Nigeria marks the 20th anniversary of World Blood Donor Day, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate , has appealed to Nigerians to increase voluntary blood donations, as the country faces a shortage of blood supply donations. Mr Pate made the call on Friday at the 2024 World Blood Donor Day press briefing organised by the National Blood Service Commission. The minister, represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Chris Isokpunwu, said Nigeria’s blood shortage is leading to avoidable deaths and diseases.
“Unfortunately, much less is currently donated, leading to avoidable deaths, morbidities, or ill health, particularly among our womenfolk, newborns, and children, and victims of road traffic accidents and insurgencies,” he said. Citing data from WHO, Mr Pate noted that out of the 118.5 million blood donations collected globally, 40 per cent of these are from high-income countries.
He said according to WHO 2023, out of the 118.5 million blood donations collected globally, 40 per cent of these are from high-income countries, which is about 16 per cent of the world’s population. “However, data on the donation rate in Nigeria shows that more than 80 per cent of blood collected is from family replacement and commercial blood donors,” he said.
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