BLOOD DONOR DAY: Poor donation fueling shortage, deaths

As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark this year’s World Blood Donor Day, donors and medical experts have lamented gaps in voluntary donation in the country.

The theme of this year’s World Blood Donor Day is: ‘Give blood, give hope, together we save lives.’ 

Weekend Trust findings reveal that voluntary unpaid blood donation remains abysmally low in Nigeria despite concerns on the safety of blood units collected from commercial and family replacement donors.

SPONSOR AD

The gaps in voluntary blood donation have further led to shortage in meeting the country’s blood need with attendant negative outcomes, such as poor health outcomes and loss of lives across facilities.

Patients also say there is need for Nigerians to voluntarily donate blood to save lives; and for all hands to be on deck to ensure safe blood and blood products in the country.

While saying that people should not wait for disasters or emergencies before donating blood, they added that the low rate of blood donation was why hospitals relied on family replacement donors and commercial donors.

According to the director-general of the National Blood Service Agency (NBSA), Professor Saleh Yuguda, Nigeria needs between1.8 and 2 million units of blood every year to meet demand.

“We are currently collecting around 500,000 units annually. That’s only about 25-30 per cent of what we need. The gap is worrying, especially when you consider how many lives depend on timely access to blood,” he said.

Yuguda explained that blood donation is the voluntary act of giving blood, typically through a simple, safe procedure. And it is processed and used for transfusion or made into lifesaving blood products, adding that it is essential in surgeries, emergency care, maternal health and managing conditions like anemia and sickle cell disease. In essence, it is literally giving someone else life.

Our experiences – Victims

Maryanne Ibeh recalled that when her elder brother and father had an accident on their way to Abuja from the South-East some years ago, her father had to go round  asking people to donate for him as there was no blood available in the facility and others they were referred to. 

She recounted, “The accident occurred on the high way of another state where we had no relatives; and there was an urgent need for blood for my brother and some other victims.

“My father had to go to a secondary school within the vicinity of the hospital to beg teachers and other people there to help urgently donate blood to save my brother’s life.

“Another victim with a rare blood type almost died because of the delay in getting someone to donate for him.”

Danlami Rayan lost his sister two years ago due to the unavailability of blood in a public facility in Abuja, as well as medical negligence.

He narrated that she was booked for a surgery that day but the doctors found out shortly before she was taken to the theatre that her blood was very low. 

He said, “She had done a test a day earlier, but they didn’t check the results till that time. A doctor wrote blood capsules and sent her home. It was later that our family discovered that she was supposed to be transfused with blood, but the facility had no blood in its bank. 

“Instead of looking for other ways to get blood for her to be transfused, she was sent home and she died in the early hours of the next day.”

How we saved lives – Donors

Oye Oyetunde Akinloye has donated blood 89 times from 1990 till date. He said his motivation was ensuring access to safe blood in the country, adding that the essence of voluntary blood donation is patriotism; saving the lives of people that are not related to you.

He said Nigeria faced a critical and persistent shortage of voluntarily donated blood and the significant gap between demand for blood and availability had severe consequences. 

He said this had led to preventable deaths and prolonged suffering, especially for accident victims, women with complications, such as postpartum hemorrhage, and haematological disorders, such as sickle cell disease.

He said that while commercial donors and family replacement made up the majority of blood donation in facilities across the country, sustainable and safe supply remained heavily on self-motivated voluntary non-remunerated donors.

“This highlights the urgent need for increased public awareness and education, as well as a shift in mindset towards regular, voluntary blood donation  as a civic responsibility,” he said.

He added that this is because to donate a unit of blood is a privilege while receiving a unit is a right. 

“Voluntarily donated blood has the potential to save up to three lives, yet a vast majority of eligible Nigerians are not regular donors. Therefore, to bridge these gaps requires concerted efforts from individuals, communities and the government to cultivate a strong culture of voluntary  blood donations  across the country,” he said.

Nathan John, 43, who has donated blood 83 times since 2005, said he would be donating his 84th unit today (Saturday) at a donor drive event in Abuja.

He said he felt good giving blood regularly to save lives without receiving anything in return.

John said his motivation to donate blood aligned with the adage that “a healthy man wants everything, but a sick person just wants one thing: to be alive.”

He added that his motivation as a regular blood donor was first to save lives; and people don’t become indebted as a result of receiving blood.

He said he had made it a habit to donate blood four times a year, according to the World Health Organisation’s recommendation. He walks into the NBSA once his appointment is due to donate after three months.

While saying he lives a healthy lifestyle to ensure that his blood is safe, he added that to avoid sharp practices, he would not go to health facilities or other places to donate, apart from the NBSA.

He said, “I don’t go to any other place because there is an agency that regulates blood transfusion. You know, anything can happen in such places that can make it unsafe for recipients.”

Advising Nigerians to always donate blood, he said it was better to do something for somebody who would not be able to pay back.

In an interview with Weekend Trust, Hajara Isa, who has donated blood several times, said that contrary to what some people believe, nothing inhibits a woman from donating blood.

She said the only exceptions were those who have low blood count, are anaemic or ill, noting that the exceptions apply to both male and female.

“As a woman, you can give blood and save lives as long as you stay healthy and eat healthy,” she said.

She encouraged women and girls to donate blood to help with the high rate of maternal mortality, especially women dying from loss of blood or postpartum haemorrhage.

She said people should walk into any of the NBSA centres to donate blood, noting that within 30 minutes or less, they are done.

According to her, before blood donation, tests are carried out to confirm if the person has enough blood, while heart rate and weight are also checked.

Hajara further said that giving blood had helped her watch her nutrition and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Some studies have also shown that people who voluntarily donate blood have the likelihood of living longer. Repeated blood donations also enhance the production of new blood cells, improve the overall cardiovascular health and can lower the risk of severe cardiovascular events, such as stroke.

‘Blood shortage due to low rate of donation’

The director-general of the NBSA, Prof Yuguda, said voluntary unpaid blood donation was still low, and right now, only 17 to 20 per cent of blood donations come from voluntary, non-remunerated donors.

He said, “Majority still come from family replacement donors, or in some cases, paid donors. That’s a concern because voluntary donors are the safest group. There’s a lot of misinformation out there – people fear that giving blood would make them weak or sick. We need to keep engaging communities to change that mindset.”

He emphasised that blood donation is important because there is no substitute for human blood. 

“When a person experiences severe blood loss, say, from childbirth complications, accidents or chronic illnesses, only blood transfusion can save them. The availability of blood can make the difference between life and death in those moments. It is also vital in managing diseases like cancer and blood disorders,” he explained.

Also, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, has said more than 80 per cent of blood donations in Nigeria are from family replacement and commercial blood donors.

He said empirical evidence showed that the most reliable and safest source of blood came from a stable base of regular, voluntary, unpaid blood donors rather than commercial sources.

Implications of poor blood donation in Nigeria 

The current low rate of blood donation has caused avoidable deaths, morbidities or ill health, particularly among the womenfolk, newborns, children and victims of road traffic accidents and insurgencies.

Bukola Bolarinwa, the founder and chief executive officer of the Haima Health Initiative (HHI), a non-profit organisation, said the shortfall  of blood need every year caused needless trauma to patients and their families, leading to delays in treatments and sometimes loss of lives. 

She said Nigerians had lots of irrational fears surrounding blood donation, adding, “They are scared that the process may be painful, create a risk of infection, make them fall sick after donation, that they do not have enough blood or that it can affect their libido.”  

She further said that these fears could be overcome by education and more awareness by the government, the civil society and health care organisations. 

She explained, “Blood donation is painless and easy, with most healthy Nigerians eligible to donate up to four times a year. There are really no side effects to blood donation. And several checks are done to make sure that people are eligible before they can donate.

“If you are between 18 and 65 and have no existing medical condition, or you are not taking medication, you are likely to be eligible. It only takes 10 minutes. And each donation has the potential to save up to three lives.”

According to the director-general of the NBSA, the consequences are very serious as patients in critical need – mothers with postpartum hemorrhage, accident victims, children with severe anemia – may not receive timely transfusions.

He said delay could lead to preventable deaths, adding that in some cases, people have to buy blood from unsafe sources, increasing the risk of infections. “It also places a huge emotional and financial burden on families, especially in emergencies,” he said.

He further stressed that safe blood donation is absolutely critical, saying, “Safe blood donation protects both the donor and the recipient. It means the blood has been screened for infections like HIV, Hepatitis B and C, syphilis and others. It also involves using sterile equipment and proper storage protocols. If we don’t prioritise safety, we run the risk of doing more harm than good. That’s why the NBSA is focused on stringent safety measures across all our facilities.”

On what the NBSA is doing to ensure safe and accessible blood, he said that since the agency’s transition from the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) to the National Blood Service Agency (NBSA), it had strengthened its capacity significantly. 

“We have standardised blood screening across the country, ensured the use of WHO-compliant testing kits and invested in better storage facilities – installed alternative solar-powered technology to maintain our cold chain storage.

“We have also set up zonal and state centres to make blood more accessible, trained thousands of professionals on transfusion safety and established a national donor database. We are building a haemovigilance system to monitor transfusion outcomes. And we run regular public engagement drives, including during the World Blood Donor Day, to recruit and retain voluntary donors. We are not where we want to be yet, but the progress is real. And with continued public support, we can ensure that safe blood is available to every Nigerian who needs it,” he said.

Challenges facing blood donation services in Nigeria 

On the challenges facing blood donation services in Nigeria, Prof Yuguda said, “We face several hurdles. Public awareness is still low. Cultural and religious beliefs discourage many from donating. Our infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, is inadequate. There is also the issue of funding and a general lack of prioritisation of blood services in national health planning.”

To overcome the challenges, he said the agency was increasing public awareness through campaigns, engaging youth groups and religious leaders and expanding blood collection infrastructure. 

He said, “We are also working on better policies, more training for health care workers and improving our partnerships with development organisations. We believe that if we can get more people to understand the importance of regular, voluntary donation, things will change.”

Idris Salihu, the country director of Safe Blood for Africa Foundation, advised Nigerians to be their brothers’ keepers by donating blood.

He said, “For youths that want to do something great, this is what they need to do. We all need the blood. Everyone is vulnerable. It is not only children, pregnant women, accident victims or sick people; anyone can need blood at any time.

“Also, blood has no price. We cannot say that we are going to remunerate blood because we don’t know how much it costs. It is God’s gift.

“If you have it, share it with others. The saddest moment of a doctor’s life is when he can save a life but the only thing preventing him from doing that is blood. And blood is flowing in the veins of all Nigerians.

Concerns over sale of blood after donation

Asked about the concern in some quarters that voluntary blood donated to the NBSA could be sold to recipients, Prof Yuguda said the agency did not sell blood or blood products. 

According to him, blood donated by voluntary and commercial donors is never monetised. 

“However, to ensure that every unit of blood is safe, screened, stored and ready for transfusion, certain consumables and logistics costs are involved, such as test kits, storage materials, reagents and cold chain management. The processing fee collected by the agency is solely to cover these consumables; and in fact, it is often significantly subsidised – falling below the actual cost of processing the blood,” he said.

He said that in line with the federal government’s commitment to saving lives, particularly under the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System (NEMSAS), blood is made available free of charge during certified emergencies, especially for accident victims and critical care patients.

The NBSA works closely with the NEMSAS and designated health facilities to make this lifesaving intervention a reality.

Responding to the issue of delayed access to blood, or instances where patients reportedly died due to unavailability, he said the NBSA had established a robust distribution network across its regional centres and affiliated facilities to ensure prompt supply of safe blood.

He encouraged health institutions to maintain timely communication with the agency, especially in emergencies.

He said, “If certain facilities are not accessing these lifesaving blood products as promptly as expected, it may be due to internal administrative bottlenecks, funding constraints, lack of awareness or poor emergency preparedness on their part. These are issues that individual facilities are better positioned to explain. That said, the NBSA remains open and ready to collaborate with all health institutions to eliminate such gaps and ensure that no life is lost due to lack of blood.

“In summary, the agency is committed to affordable, safe and timely blood access, not profit-making. The focus remains on saving lives, particularly the most vulnerable.”