Why blood trasfusion services will be centralised - FG

By SAde Oguntola - 14.05.2008

HEALTH Minister, Dr. Hassan Mohammad Lawal, has said that the current drive to centralised blood transfusion services in the country is to ensure that the increasing blood needs of the country are met.

Dr. Lawal at the opening ceremony of the maiden stakeholders conference on blood transfusion services on Tuesday in Abuja, said the government realised that the past efforts at ensuring safe, quality and adequate blood had failed enhance the move to centralised blood transfusion system through its National Blood Transfusion Services and the promulgation of laws to govern their operations.

The minister said this had become important because blood had no substitute and therefore needed to be judiciously used, explaining that doing this would equally help check the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Dr Lawal said the government would not shy away from its responsibility of ensuring safe, quality and adequate blood as this was one way of saving mothers and children from dying needlessly.