FG tasks health institutions, professionals on blood safety regulation

The National Blood Transfusion Services (NBTS) has called on medical practitioners and institutions to comply with national regulatory standards aimed at ensuring blood safety in the country.

The National Coordinator of NBTS, Dr Joseph Amedu made the call yesterday during the meeting of experts committee on the development of national standards for blood safety regulation in Nigeria.

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He said, “In as much as blood is life, blood can equally be a very dangerous and hazardous product to the body, unsafe blood kills.

“I call on all medical practitioners, health and allied professionals as well as other business entities that are interested in establishing blood services in Nigeria, to ensure compliance with these regulatory standards. This will be the only way to guarantee the provision of safe, quality, and accessible blood and blood products to all patients that may need them in Nigeria.”

He said there is an urgent need for a uniform regulatory standard to ensure the provision of safe, quality, and accessible blood and blood products for transfusion to patients in the country.

Dr Amedu said the expert committee is developing the uniform regulatory standard, and that it will guide blood establishments in Nigeria within the federal health institutions and state-owned health institutions.

The national expert committee consists of all national health regulatory bodies, health professionals associations, and civil society organisations.

Prof. Aisha Kuliya Gwarzo, President Nigeria Society of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, and chair of the expert committee said that therapies that require blood transfusions in the country include maternal hemorrhage, under-five malaria, trauma and recently renal transplant, dialysis, and bone marrow transplant among others.

Dr Musa Muihibi, National Secretary, Hematology and Blood Transfusion Scientists Society of Nigeria said the uniform guidelines is key because blood establishments are arbitrarily doing what they think best, adding that any blood establishments performing below the guidelines will be liable and face the full wrath of the law.