The Acting Zonal Director of the National Blood Service Commission (NBSC), Southwest Zone, Dr. Oladapo Aworanti has appealed to the general public to donate more blood for the sake of saving lives in need of their blood type in the society.
Aworanti made this call during this year National Blood Donor Day with a theme ‘BLOOD DONATION, REAL ACT OF HUMANITY’ in Ibadan while speaking with journalists on the reason why people should up their game of humanity in the area of voluntarily donating blood to save humanity.
In his words, Aworanti said “people should reignite their humanity spirit. It is a way of saving life. We should all see humanitarian services as a responsibility, and not otherwise. Every blood donated is always counted, and one other reason the commission have been noting then good use of donated blood in the appreciative messages the commission have always been sending to the donors.”
Responding to questions relating to blood type and who can donate, Aworanti explained that there is no blood group or type that is not in demand in the donated blood. One reason why all necessary tests are being carried out on all the collected blood from donors.
“We’ve been sensitizing the general public that there is no blood type or group that is not in demand in our society. Every blood counts. And also, people have been saying we collected blood from people voluntarily and the commission is selling for the needy. I want to say that the process involved in testing and preserving the voluntary blood donated is more than the commission charged.”
“We cannot just collect blood and give it out. We need to take those blood to many stages of processes that will purify and make it safe for the purpose it was intended for. The commission is not selling blood, we are only taking service charge, and nothing more.”
The acting zonal Director further appealed that people should help in sensitizing one another and the general public to see the voluntary blood donation as an act of responsibility they should all bear.
“On public sensitization, we have been trying our best to let the general public understand the good side of donating blood to themselves and saving the humanity in need of their blood type. We have continuously partnered with government institution like NYSC in major, as we have been able to continuously engage them at orientation camps in southwest and they have been part of our major voluntary blood donor.”
“Also, we have been touring private institutions as well to up the sensitization mission, and we have been seeking collaboration with the Oyo state government to be able to access public secondary and primary schools. We are doing this to catch the younger generation and made them understand the reasons why donating blood is a responsible act of humanity and not otherwise.”
The commission in partnership with Rotary clubs in Ibadan also tour the neighboring communities and engage some road users and passerby to further enlightened them of the wrong myths about blood donation through the use of stickers, banners and each one teaches one approach.
