By Hassan Zaggi
The National Blood Service Commission (NBSC) has vowed to begin, in earnest, the full enforcement of blood regulations in the country.
To achieve this, the Commission has concluded the training of its core staff to enhance their capacity.
Speaking at the end of the training, the Acting Director General of the NBSC, Dr. Omale Joseph Amedu, described the training as timely and ‘an incubation’ for the full enforcement of blood regulations in Nigeria.
“In the coming days, the Commission would embark on regulatory tour of health facilities that provide blood services in Nigeria.
“We have engaged relevant stakeholders in the blood service on the need for blood regulations in the country and why they should join government’s effort in ensuring a safe blood haven for Nigeria as blood as important as it is, can be very dangerous if not properly screened and safe for use,” Dr Amedu added.
It would be recalled that in 2022, Dr. Amedu lamented that
more than 90% of health facilities in Nigeria engage in unregulated blood activities.
He further regretted that less than one percent of health facilities involved in the blood business are registered with the commission.
A statement by the Head, Media, and Publicity of the NBSC, Haruna Abdullahi, noted that the enhanced training was done following a series of enlightenment drives, advocacies, and calls to blood establishments across the country to register their facilities with the Commission and ensure quality and safety.
Recall that the NBSC was re-engineered and empowered to regulate, coordinate and ensure the availability of safe blood and blood products for Nigerians in need of it by the act of the National Assembly in 2021, the NBSC Act 2021.
