Blood services: FG gives unregistered health facilities 30-day ultimatum

The National Blood Service Commission (NBSC) has given health facilities a 30-day ultimatum to register their blood bank facilities with the commission or face sanctions. The acting director-general of the agency, Dr Omale Amedu, gave the ultimatum yesterday in Abuja while briefing newsmen on the implementation of the NBSC blood service regulatory policies. Reps probe […]

The National Blood Service Commission (NBSC) has given health facilities a 30-day ultimatum to register their blood bank facilities with the commission or face sanctions.

The acting director-general of the agency, Dr Omale Amedu, gave the ultimatum yesterday in Abuja while briefing newsmen on the implementation of the NBSC blood service regulatory policies.

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He said unregistered blood services posed a health risk to Nigerians.

Amedu said all those involved in the blood business were expected to register with the commission to ensure appropriate regulation and coordination of safe and quality blood and blood products.

“No blood shall be transfused anywhere in Nigeria without the NBSC seal of accreditation.

“Anyone receiving blood or blood product transfusion in any Nigerian health facility must ask to see the NBSC seal and without it, do not accept because it is not safe,” he warned.

Amedu lamented that over 90 per cent of health facilities in Nigeria were still practising “sharp” and unsafe blood transfusion practices, exposing people to HIV, hepatitis, syphilis and others.

He said rigorous processes were involved to provide safe and quality blood and blood products, in terms of donor selection, technical aspects of the collection,  storage, appropriate testing technology, cold-chain system, distribution and client protection, as well as disposal of waste products.