The partnership between Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Universitätsmedizin Greifswald (UMG) in Germany, and the National Blood Service Agency (NBSA) is making significant strides toward safer blood transfusions in Nigeria.
The initiative, titled “Towards Safe Blood in Nigeria,” aims to expand AKTH’s successful transfusion medicine center to hospitals nationwide.
Head of Media and Publicity, NBSA, Abdullahi Haruna, in a statement on Monday, said the partnership, which began in 2016, has already transformed blood transfusion practices at AKTH by introducing advanced standards in transfusion medicine, quality management, and immunohaematological techniques.
Nigerian haematologists have also benefited from specialized training provided by German experts, he added.
Haruna noted that the project seeks to address four key challenges affecting blood transfusion in the country, which include; isufficient blood supply to meet demand, safety risks due to the transmission of infectious diseases, lack of proper compatibility testing, which can lead to transfusion reaction and operational errors caused by inadequate training and infrastructure.
To combat these issues, the initiative will establish a national training center for transfusion medicine at AKTH, said Haruna, adding that the center will offer training for blood bank staff in hygiene protocols, donor screening, and compatibility testing, particularly for patients with complex conditions like sickle cell disease (SCD).
Also, he said a specialised auditor training program will enhance NBSA’s capacity to regulate blood banks nationwide.
The project aligns with Nigeria’s National Health Policy (2016) and the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendations for improving maternal health, reducing pregnancy-related deaths, and ensuring safer surgical procedures. With over six million Nigerians living with SCD, a reliable and safe blood supply is critical for their care, Haruna stated.
He further stated that the initiative has also received international recognition, including an award from the Nigerian Society of Haematology and Blood Transfusion in 2023 for its contributions to blood safety.
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