80% blood from commercial donors – Expert

A Consultant Haematologist with the Edo University, Iyamho, Marcellinus Nwagu, has said that over 80% of blood used in Nigeria were received from commercial blood donors.

Nwangu disclosed this on Friday in Benin during the 3rd quarter of the Ordinary General Meeting of the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), Edo State Hospitals Management Board chapter.

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Delivering a lecture titled ‘Blood is Life: Appropriate Use of Blood in Clinical practice’, he noted that there is high infection rate from blood donated by commercial blood donors.

“So, commercial blood donors pose a challenge to safe blood transfusion and should be phased out to ensure access to quality blood donation,” he said.

He called for the speedy passage of the blood safety bill to encourage people to donate blood voluntarily and discourage commercial blood donation.