Shortage of blood donors puts patients, accident victims at risk

By : Nkechi Onyedika-Ugoeze

Date: 11 December 2025 3:50am WAT

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[FILES] Blood Donor (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS AFP)

[FILES] Blood Donor (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS AFP)

• Agency plans regulation to halt blood racketeering by health facilities

The Federal Government has raised alarm over Nigeria’s chronic shortage of voluntary blood donations, warning that the gap between supply and demand continues to endanger mothers, children, accident victims and patients with chronic illnesses.

To curb exploitative practices, the National Blood Service Agency (NBSA) is also implementing measures to regulate the cost of blood in all health facilities, ensuring that no hospital charges more than an approved amount, the agency stated.

Speaking at an event to mark the National Blood Donor Day in Abuja, themed “From Headlines to Lifelines: Media Advocacy for Voluntary Blood Donation,” Director of Hospital Services at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Salaudeen Jimoh, urged the media to drive public awareness using human-centred stories and evidence-based communication.

He noted that voluntary blood donation remains a cornerstone of the government’s ongoing reforms in hospital services, emergency care and quality standards.

Jimoh stressed that no national health intervention can succeed without strong public awareness and social mobilisation, calling on journalists to challenge long-standing myths around blood donation and entrench a culture of voluntary, non-remunerated giving.

“Donating blood does not make one weak; it is safe, and one donation can save multiple lives,” he said. “We must tell the stories behind the statistics: mothers who survive childbirth because blood was available, children with sickle cell disease whose crises are managed, and accident victims who open their eyes again because someone cared enough to give.”

He urged media organisations to integrate voluntary blood donation into editorial calendars, CSR initiatives, humanitarian campaigns and human-interest reporting.

Earlier, NBSA Director-General, Dr Saleh Yuguda, said Nigeria requires 1.8 to 2 million units of blood annually but collects only about 500,000 units, meeting just 25–30 per cent of national needs. This leaves a persistent shortfall of 70–75 per cent each year.

Because of the deficit, hospitals and patients often rely on emergency “replacement” donations from family members or paid donors, a practice Yuguda warned undermines safety and reliability.

The shortage, he said, threatens critical care areas such as emergency trauma services, maternal and child health, especially postpartum haemorrhage, major surgeries, cancer treatments and the management of chronic conditions like anaemia and sickle cell disease.

“These figures show clearly that while the need for blood is vast and constant, our supply remains dangerously inadequate,” Yuguda said. “Every uncollected unit translates into risk, delayed surgeries, untreated emergencies, preventable deaths and heartbreak for families.”

Yuguda explained that although the agency spends more than N45,000 to process a pint of blood, it charges hospitals only N10,000. Unfortunately, many facilities go on to sell the same blood to patients at exorbitant prices. He confirmed that the government is preparing regulatory measures to halt such racketeering.

He said the theme of the day underscores a key truth: that the stories amplified in the media determine whether people step forward to donate.

“The media has the reach and credibility to turn curiosity into compassion, and compassion into concrete lifesaving acts,” he said. “They can mobilise communities for donation drives, communicate urgent needs and keep the public informed on when and how to donate.”

Yuguda added that media advocacy also strengthens accountability by spotlighting gaps in supply chains, quality standards and equitable access, helping institutions improve and building public trust.

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