NNPC Medical Services Marks Blood Donor Day, Laud Contributors

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

NNPC Medical Services Limited (NMSL) yesterday marked the ‘World Blood Donor Day’, lauding those who have contributed to saving lives in partnership with the organisation in the last 20 years.

Speaking at an event in Abuja to commemorate the day, the Manager, Diagnostics Services (NMSL), Mrs. Mirian Anabui, described the occasion as momentous, reaffirming the company’s commitment to supporting blood donation initiatives, raising awareness, and advocating for equitable access to safe blood supplies.

Through their invaluable donations, she explained that the donors had offered the gift of life to countless individuals, families, and communities, noting that their act of giving had helped sustain lives, fuelled hope, and embodied the essence of humanity.

“Today, on World Blood Donor Day, we come together to celebrate a remarkable milestone: 20 years of giving, 20 years of selflessness, compassion, and unwavering dedication to saving lives.

“Through your invaluable donations, you have offered the gift of life to countless individuals, families, and communities. With each donation, you have provided hope to those in need, strength to the vulnerable, and reassurance to the weary.
“You have embodied the spirit of solidarity and compassion, demonstrating that a single act of kindness has the power to transform lives and shape the course of our shared humanity.

“As we reflect on the past two decades of giving, let us also look forward with optimism and determination. Let us reaffirm our commitment to supporting blood donation initiatives, raising awareness, and advocating for equitable access to safe blood supplies for all,” she added.

In a lecture he delivered, an expert, Oyetunde Akinloye, noted that the day was set aside to thank voluntary unpaid donors for their life-saving gifts as well as create awareness for blood donations to ensure the quality, safety and availability of blood and blood products.

He explained that blood services are a vital part of the healthcare system, providing life-saving transfusions for a variety of medical conditions, stressing however, that maintaining a sustainable blood supply can be challenging due to factors like short shelf life of blood products.

He listed other challenges as: fluctuations in donor availability, increasing demand for blood transfusions, funding, high turnover of trained, skilled personnel, among others.

According to him, out of 112.5 million blood donations globally, about 50 per cent are from high income countries, while 65 per cent of blood transfusion are given to children lesser than five years.

Reeling out health indicators for Nigeria, he stated that neonate mortality account for 43 per 1,000 live births, while infant mortality is 100 per 1000 live births.

Dr. Karịa Abacha, who represented the  Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO) underscored the need to voluntarily donate blood to save more lives, describing the donors as ‘angels of life’.