NBTS worries over absent blood legislation

National Blood Transfusion Service says without enabling legislation, it cannot regulate compliance to the national blood policy. Its national coordinator, Oluwatoyin Smith, also says poor funding, inadequate plan to sustain blood services, a lack of cooperative attitude from health workers, along with resistance to change and deep cultural misconceptions about blood, are among factors hampering […]

National Blood Transfusion Service says without enabling legislation, it cannot regulate compliance to the national blood policy.

Its national coordinator, Oluwatoyin Smith, also says poor funding, inadequate plan to sustain blood services, a lack of cooperative attitude from health workers, along with resistance to change and deep cultural misconceptions about blood, are among factors hampering voluntary blood donations in Nigeria.

He spoke in Makurdi at a meeting of stakeholders on blood safety to drive wider awareness and plans about blood safety, increase community ownership of blood services and shore up NBTS mandate to ensure blood products are available and of top quality.

The national blood policy mandates that blood for transfusion be screened for all transfusion-transmissible infections, said health minister, Onyebuchi Chukwu.

The policy also requires that screening be done using “fourth-generation ELIZA techniques as minimum standard…in order to ensure that all blood and blood components transfused in Nigeria are safe,” he added in remarks delivered by health permanent secretary Sani Bala.

ELIZA is considered the most sensitive and affordable technique to screen blood for infections yet in Nigeria.

Last year, the National Council on Health reached a decision to sensitise states on using enzyme-assay technologies as ELIZA  to screen blood units meant for transfusion.