The Nation Newspaper

Tag: LSBTC

  • ‘Donate blood voluntarily’

    Genotype Foundation, a nongovernmental organisation has partnered with the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Committee (LSBTC) on voluntary blood donation.

    According to the Executive Director of the NGO, Mrs. Doris Gbemiloye, the partnering was borne out of the passion to help Lagos State improve on its voluntary blood donors.

    She spoke during a voluntary blood donation drive organised by LSBTC in collaboration with the NGO at the MRC hall of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). She said the NGO is targeted at taking care of sickle cell disordered patients and counseling them on how to stay healthy.

    The Executive Secretary of LSBTC, Dr. Modupe Olaiya represented by Dr. Alori Samuel noted that if Nigerians would imbibe the regular habit of voluntary blood donation, there would be reduction in the death rate that relates to loss of blood.

  • ‘Donate blood to save lives’

    The Health Educator, Lagos State Blood Transfusion Committee (LSBTC), Mrs Temitope Balogun, has urged Nigerians to develop the culture of donating blood to save people’s lives.

    Mrs Balogun spoke in Lagos during a voluntary blood donation drive/free mini medical check organised by the LSBTC in conjunction with the Lagos State Skill Acquisition Centre, Berger.

    She said non-availability of blood in hospitals had killed many, calling on Nigerians to donate blood to assist those in need of it, including sickle cell patients, accident victims, women in need of blood at delivery and cancer patients.

    A Welding and Pole Fabrication trainee at the centre, Moses Ogundipe, a first-time donor, advised his colleagues to embrace voluntary blood donation to save lives and ward off infectious diseases. He identified ignorance as the obstacle militating against voluntary blood donation in the society.

    Adetoun John, who is studying Refrigerating and Air Conditioning, said voluntary blood donation is a way to give back to the society.

  • Blood vital to survival, says expert

    IT is a serious medical condition for people to be short of blood, Executive Secretary, Lagos State Blood Transfusion Committee (LSBTC), Mrs Modupe Olaiya, has said.

    According to her, those without adequate blood can pay the supreme price.

    She spoke during a national dialogue on gender issues in the 1999 Constitution organised by Women’s Advocate Research and Documentation Centre in collaboration with LSBTC.

    She said those lacking adequate blood are usually tired and unable to walk or do anything tasking as such nothing can take the place of blood.

    Blood, she said, is the red fluid that flows through the body and it has red cells, white cells and platelets in it.

    “The red cells carry oxygen from the lungs to different parts of the body and then carries carbon dioxide back to the lungs, the white blood cells fight infections and the platelet is responsible for blood clots,” she added.

    She said nobody can survive without blood because humans needs oxygen to breathe and this is what the red cells in the blood are responsible for.

    “If we do not have the white blood cells we will be like a dumping ground for various kinds of ailment and diseases and people will die any how because there are no white cells to fight against diseases.

    “There are some people who are short of blood, this category of people need blood from fellow humans to remainstay alive. Such people include mothers who over bleed during or after delivery, patients going for surgery, accident victims, cancer patients, people with fibroid that are bleeding (some people bleed to the extent that they would need a blood transfusion)  and sickle cell disorder patients among others,” she said.

    She stressed the need for people in stable health condition to donate blood so that there would be blood in the blood bank which would be ready for use anytime the need for blood arises by those who have lost blood.

    Mrs. Olaiya said: “Voluntary blood donors have that feeling of satisfaction that they are saving lives, there is also that spiritual reward that you are helping someone and there are also health benefits as the donors would be given free medical check up which includes, weight check, blood level, blood group, genotype and blood pressure. Blood donation is also helpful to the donors as it keeps the bone marrow active, and this on its own is an advantage to the body.”

    She identified people who can donate blood as males and females between the ages of 18 and 65 years; adding that they must be healthy, weigh at least 50 kg, must not be pregnant and free of HIV, hepatitis, syphilis and other diseases.

  • Lagos gets 2000 voluntary blood donors in eight years

    Lagos gets 2000 voluntary blood donors in eight years

    In eight years only 2000 persons have voluntarily donated blood without seeking monetary gain in Lagos, the State Blood Transfusion Committee (LSBTC) Executive Director Dr Modupe Olaiya has said.

    Describing the figure as paltry, she urged more people to join the voluntary donors to ease the problem of blood unavailability when needed.

    Dr Olaiya said it was absurd that out of estimated population of 18 million people, the committee could only get 2000 between 2004 and now to voluntarily donate blood.

    She spoke at a sensitisation of Government Technical College, Ikeja students in Lagos.

    According to her, this disturbing statistic is the reason commercial blood donors still thrive.

    She said there was the need for blood donors to save the lives of people, saying the state has never had enough blood to save those in emergency as family replacement donors remained the major option.

    Mrs Olaiya, who is a consultant haematologist, said the trend can change if the number of non-remunerated voluntary blood donors increases. “Our aim is to have a source of blood donation that is wholly from non-remunerated voluntary donors. We don’t want commercial and family replacement donors.

    “So, when we give patients blood, we don’t have to coerce them to replace it. By not coercing them to donate, will help reduce the issue of commercial blood donors and as such will die a natural death,” she said.

    On why LSBTC is taking the campaign to schools, she said, it was to raise awareness and ensure there are new recruits that can contribute to improving blood donation.

    More people, she said, are now aware of the importance of blood donations, adding: “people are beginning to respond and it’s getting better than what it used to be in the past.” She said the state doesn’t sell blood to people, adding that it only charges them for the cost of the test carried out on the blood. “We test for HIV and AIDS only if the blood is from commercial donors,” she said.

    Mrs Olaiya warned commercial blood donors to desist from the act, adding that when they donate their blood too frequently, they will be shut of blood. And they will be tired, weak and may collapse at anytime.

    She said they are also at a risk of heart failure, saying their hearts usually beat faster than normal.

    Accusing those who patronize commercial donors, she said: “It is the family and not the state that engages commercial donors. When we transfuse a patient, we usually ask the family to come and replace but many would prefer to pay commercial donors who often disguise as family members.

    “They don’t come to us confrontational that they are commercial donors. If they did we would send them away.”

  • Nigerians urged to donate blood

    Nigerians have been urged to engage in voluntary blood donation.

    This, the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Committee (LSBTC), said would help to save lives.

    Its Scientific Officer, Mrs Olayinka Animasaun, said this during a four-day voluntary blood donation exercise by the committee at the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), Ikeja.

    MrsAnimasaun said the committee has carried out the exercise in schools, local governments, agencies and government parastatals, among other places, to ensure that there is enough blood in the state’s blood bank.

    According to her, donors will have the opportunity to know their health status such as HIV 1 and 2, hepatitis B and C, syphilis, blood group and genotype free before making donation.

    “Donating blood helps donors to shed out the old red cells to produce new ones. This exercise helps them to look fresh and help the bone marrow to function effectively,” she added.

    An official of the body, Mr Solomon Eke said the exercise ensures there is access to blood in time of emergency and it reduces time wasting, thereby, helps to save lives.

    He said people between the ages of 18 to 65 can engage in the exercise, but discouraged donation by expectant mothers and the sick.

    Eke said donated blood is useful for people with sickle cell anaemia, cancer and accident victims and those having surgery.

    Director, Special Duties, LIRS Adekunle Oseni said: “I believe in voluntary blood donation so that there would be enough blood in the blood bank in case of any emergency.”

    He urged the people to imbibe the culture of non-remunerated voluntary blood donation, saying it is a crucial way to saving lives.