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Tag: LSBTS

  • LSBTS raises alarm over looming blood shortage, urges stronger donor mobilisation

    LSBTS raises alarm over looming blood shortage, urges stronger donor mobilisation

    With hospitals grappling with rising emergencies and an overstretched blood supply system, the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS) has issued a warning, mobilising donor advocates, partners and civil society groups to prevent a potential blood crisis in the state.

    At the 2026 Blood Donor Mobiliser Stakeholders’ Engagement held on Wednesday in Alausa, Ikeja, stakeholders were urged to scale up community-based mobilisation to address sharp fluctuations in voluntary blood donation that continue to endanger patient outcomes across Lagos.

    The Executive Secretary of LSBTS, Dr. Bodunrin Osikomaiya, cautioned that while the demand for blood remains steady due to childbirth complications, road traffic accidents, surgical procedures, sickle cell crises and cancer treatment, donation levels are inconsistent and typically drop during festive seasons.

    “Blood cannot be manufactured or replaced,” she said. “When donations drop, lives are put on hold.” She noted that the sharp decline in donations in December exposed deep vulnerabilities in Lagos’ blood supply chain and reinforced the urgency of sustained, year-round mobilisation.

    Osikomaiya stressed that voluntary, non-remunerated donation remains the safest and most sustainable source of blood, describing donor mobilisers as the frontline defenders in the fight to save lives.

    According to her, no amount of infrastructure or policy can compensate for the absence of willing donors and trusted community voices.

    She disclosed that LSBTS’ 2026 strategy would prioritise turning one-time donors into regular life-savers through improved donor care, recognition and a referral-driven “each one, reach one or two” model, designed to multiply impact at the grassroots.

    The engagement, she added, was structured to deliver action rather than rhetoric, with clear performance benchmarks, simple reporting systems and outreach plans tailored to Lagos realities such as traffic congestion, distance and limited time.

    Providing insight into current realities, Head of Donor Recruitment and Retention, Ms Olayinka Animashaun, revealed that in 2025, LSBTS recruited 7,670 donors, recording 5,656 successful donations from 216 blood drives across the state.

    While improved face-to-face advocacy and better donor experience boosted turnout, she said persistent myths, low awareness, poor internet access and space constraints continue to limit optimal performance.

    Animashaun said the 2026 push would focus on deeper community penetration, sustained education and dismantling misconceptions that keep otherwise eligible residents away from donation centres.

    Partners echoed the urgency. President, Rotary Club of Lagos Palm Grove Estate, Rotarian Pravin Kumar, described Lagos as a critical link between donors and patients, noting that Rotary clubs remain key responders to emergency blood needs. He said Palm Grove Estate donates about 500 pints of blood annually, with plans to double the figure through intensified mobilisation.

    Co-founder, One Health Lifesavers, Mr Idris Ibrahim, said collaboration was no longer optional, stressing that shared networks and pooled resources were essential to reaching more residents and running multiple donation drives simultaneously.

    Similarly, PRO, KBK Club, Mr Kamal Safiriyu, said the forum offered a moment for honest reflection and strategic reset, adding that stronger partnerships were crucial to reversing donation gaps.

    Founder and CEO, Diabetes & Limb Salvage Foundation, Mrs Osarenkhoe Chima Nwagwugwu, gave the issue a human face, recounting her struggle to access blood in December. She described blood donation as a non-negotiable social responsibility and urged families and communities to make it a constant conversation.

    “Blood should never be searched for only in emergencies,” she said, calling on residents to see voluntary donation as a civic duty rather than an occasional act of charity.

    The engagement ended with a renewed commitment by stakeholders to strengthen trust, expand coordinated outreach and work closely with LSBTS to ensure that no patient in Lagos is denied life-saving blood when it matters most.

  • Lagos steps ups drive for safe blood supply

    Lagos steps ups drive for safe blood supply

    • By Chinyere Okoroafor

    As parts of efforts to guarantee safe, adequate and sustainable blood supply in the Centre of Excellence, the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS) yesterday took its voluntary blood donation campaign to the State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.

    The awareness and one-on-one sensitisation campaign, and part of activities marking the LSBTS Blood Awareness Month, was themed: “Voluntary donors, sustainable blood: Securing Lagos state’s blood supply.”

    It reinforced the state’s resolve to entrench a culture of voluntary, non-remunerated blood donation.

    Health Commissioner Prof Akin Abayomi said the state, with its estimated 30 million population, requires between 200,000 and 250,000 units of blood annually to meet its healthcare needs.

    He noted that voluntary donation remains the safest and most reliable source of blood.

    Abayomi disclosed that about 141,000 units of blood were recorded in the last cycle, roughly 70 per cent of the state’s target, commending residents who donated voluntarily to save lives during emergencies.

    Describing blood as a “liquid organ,” the commissioner stressed that blood transfusion is comparable to organ transplantation and must follow strict scientific protocols, including thorough screening and accurate donor-recipient matching, to prevent complications and infections.

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    He reassured residents that blood donation poses no health risk to eligible donors, urging especially young people to make it a regular habit, noting that every pint donated translates directly into lives saved across health facilities.

    Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, said the demand for blood is constant, driven by childbirth complications, road traffic accidents, surgeries and other medical emergencies that occur daily.

    She said the Sanwo-Olu administration has modernised blood transfusion services through digitisation, improved tracking systems and strengthened safety protocols to ensure that only safe, screened blood reaches patients.

    According to her, rigorous screening processes are in place to protect both donors and recipients, while continuous training of personnel ensures compliance with global best practices.

    She urged residents to discard myths and fears surrounding blood donation, stressing that it is a daily necessity, not a seasonal exercise.

    Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Dayo Lajide, described blood as life and a critical resource for effective healthcare delivery.

    She noted that while demand often rises during festive periods due to increased accidents, the need for blood persists throughout the year.

    LSBTS Executive Secretary Dr. Bodunrin Osikomaiya, lamented the persistence of myths that discourage blood donation, despite daily medical emergencies.

    She said the campaign was designed to take advocacy directly to communities, starting with government offices and public spaces, to encourage wider participation.

    Osikomaiya added that LSBTS is strengthening one-on-one sensitisation and opening its facilities to the public to improve transparency in blood collection, testing, processing and storage.

  • Unethical conduct

    Unethical conduct

    • Lagos govt in order for closing down hospital that transfused unscreened blood

    The closure of a private hospital located in Ago-Okota, Oshodi-Isolo Local Council Area of Lagos State, for engaging in unhealthy and unwholesome practice of collecting and transfusing unscreened blood to unsuspecting patients, raises a public health concern in that sector. The Executive Secretary of Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS), Dr Bodunrin Osikomaiya, stated: “Following the tip off, and after thorough investigations, the enforcement teams of LSBTS and HEFAMAA, during their joint monitoring exercise in the area, visited the facility and confirmed to be true, the unwholesome, unprofessional and unethical medical practices and conduct of the hospital management.” 

    We hope this discovery would wake-up the two organisations to engage in robust monitoring of hospitals that offer blood transfusion in the state. Presently, there is insignificant presence of LSBTS and State Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) with regards to efficient blood transfusion facilities across the states, and many hospitals lack the basic facilities required for testing blood before transfusion. Patients admitted into hospitals find it difficult to access blood as a matter of routine, and when blood transfusion is needed urgently, the cost and access become excruciating.

    So, we commend the action of LSBTS and HEFAMAA considering the health implications of the action of the hospital. According to Dr Osikomaiya, the “facility was sealed for contravening the provision of the Blood Transfusion Service law, specifically, law 10, item 31, which states that no person within Lagos State shall transfuse blood into a patient unless such blood has been screened, tested, labelled by the state blood transfusion committee, and found to be negative for all transmissible diseases including HIV I and II, Hepatitis B and C, Syphilis and any other disease as may be deemed necessary by LSBTS,”    

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    We agree that it is extremely dangerous to transfuse unscreened blood into a patient. As Dr Osikomaiya noted, the health implications are far-reaching, as the patient could get exposed to diseases far more complicated and challenging than the reason for which he/she came to the hospital. Imagine if a pregnant woman who merely has shortage of blood is transfused with unscreened blood and she becomes infested with HIV I or II, or Hepatitis B or C, or Syphilis or any other communicable disease. Again, imagine that an accident victim could suffer similar faith, which will further compound the challenge.

    So, we ask for a robust blood transfusion programme in the health sector. The hospitals, whether primary, general or tertiary, should inculcate blood banks as part of their services. Such blood banks should also be available for private hospitals to access. Where such services exist, private hospitals would have less temptation to engage in unwholesome practices. Where private hospitals wish to invest in blood banks, the LSBTS and HEFAMAA must ensure that they meet high standards, including the capacity to screen bloods saved in their blood banks before it is sold to the public.  

    Nigerians are not properly educated about the need to regularly donate blood, perhaps because of the mistrust of government institutions. We urge the creation of strong social awareness on the need to donate blood. But the trust would only come if there is transparency in handling donated blood.

    Again, government should encourage private institutions and bodies to build and manage blood banks as social investment. To achieve that, the statistical needs of the state with respect to blood must be in the public domain.

    While dealing with infractions as happened to the hospital in Ago-Okota, is essential to maintain public health, the more important challenge is the provision of blood banks for patients to have access to screened, safe blood. Where a gap exists, patients and their beloved ones would be tempted to patronise unsafe sources.