Blood free in Lagos hospitals

Blood is free in all Lagos State-owned hospitals; patients are only asked to pay for blood screening.

Blood has the same value with human life and therefore, it cannot be quantified with money,” a member, Lagos State Blood Transfusion Committee (LSBTC), Mr Solomon Eka, has said.
He spoke in Lagos during a voluntary blood donation campaign organised by the committee in collaboration with the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
He also urged Lagosians to develop the culture of voluntary blood donation with the view to regulating blood supply in the state.

Eka said: “Lagos is yet to achieve 100 per cent voluntary blood donation. Despite the awareness and education on the need to donate blood, it has not yet yielded the desired result.”
Oluwatoyin Tuase, also of the ministry, said: “Voluntary blood donation is a service to humanity; a good opportunity to give back to the society.”

Meanwhile, the Indian community in the state has also partnered with the LSBTC on voluntary blood donation. The Indians, under the aegis of Saint Nirankari Mission, aka ‘Universal Brotherhood’, is a spiritual movement, dedicated to humanity.
The Mission’s Head, Preveen Kapur, said the need for blood was on the increase in all parts of the world.

“Voluntary blood donation is a social responsibility that saves lives. The goal of the mission is to raise awareness on voluntary blood donation; having realised the need expressed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), that there were massive shortages of blood throughout the world in the blood banks.
Another member, Dr Deep Miran, said voluntary blood donation is important because no one can survive without blood.

The Nation