Health facilities in the country have been given a 30-day ultimatum by the National Blood Service Commission (NBSC) to register their blood bank facilities with the commission or face sanctions.
Dr Omale Amedu, the acting Director-General of the agency, gave the ultimatum on Wednesday, in Abuja, while briefing newsmen on the implementation of the NBSC blood service regulatory policies all over the country.
According to him, unregistered blood bank services posed serious health risk to Nigerians.
He said over 90 percent of health facilities in Nigeria were still practising ‘sharp’ and unsafe blood transfusion practices, exposing people to HIV, hepatitis, syphilis and others.
He explained that appropriate regulation and coordination of safe and quality blood and blood products would be ensured, adding that all those involved in the blood business were expected to register with the commission.
According to him, “No blood shall be transfused anywhere in Nigeria without the NBSC seal of accreditation.”
Amedu explained that anyone receiving blood or blood product transfusion in any Nigerian health facility must ask to see the NBSC seal, stressing, “without it, do not accept, it is not safe.
The acting acting Director-General stated that 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.
