By Falmata Muhammad
The National Blood Service Agency (NBSA) has expressed concern over the low rate of voluntary blood donation in Nigeria, describing it as a major challenge to the country’s healthcare system and blood transfusion services.
The Director of Blood Services at the National Blood Service Agency, Dr. Sani Abubakar, stated this in an interview while speaking on the current state of blood donation in the country ahead of World Blood Donor Day.
According to him, voluntary blood donation remains the safest and globally recommended source of blood supply. However, he noted that Nigeria still relies heavily on family replacement donors and, in some cases, commercial donors, due to the low participation of voluntary donors.
“Most of the blood available in our hospitals comes from family replacement donors, where relatives donate blood for sick family members. In some instances, commercial donation still occurs, despite not being an acceptable practice,” he said.
Dr. Abubakar explained that the shortage of voluntary donors has created a significant gap between the country’s blood requirements and the quantity collected annually.
He noted that based on the World Health Organization’s recommendation that at least one percent of a country’s population should donate blood annually, Nigeria requires about two million units of blood every year to meet national demand.
“Unfortunately, records show that the country collects fewer than 500,000 units of blood annually, leaving a huge deficit in the healthcare system,” he said.
The NBSA official warned that the shortage often results in situations where patients requiring urgent blood transfusions are unable to access blood when needed, especially in emergency and maternal healthcare cases.
Speaking on the importance of blood donation, Dr. Abubakar Sani emphasized that blood cannot be manufactured or purchased from shops, pharmacies, or markets, but can only be donated by one person to save the life of another.
He urged Nigerians to embrace voluntary blood donation as a civic and humanitarian responsibility, stressing that regular donations would significantly improve blood availability across the country.
“My message to Nigerians is to donate blood voluntarily and regularly, not only when a family member or friend is sick. People should visit blood transfusion service centres and become regular donors because blood donation saves lives,” he said.
Dr. Abubakar further explained that healthy men can donate blood three to four times annually, while healthy women can donate two to three times a year.
He maintained that increased voluntary blood donation would strengthen the nation’s healthcare system and help save thousands of lives every year.
