The National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM) and the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) have embarked on a sensitisation programme on using technology and innovation to upscale blood donation through its application, blood donation hub, and management application for Nigeria.
Speaking in Abuja during the launch, the director general of NACETEM, Dr Olusola Odusanya, said the blood hub, in partnership with the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) and the National Blood Service Commission (NBSC), created the hub to make it easier and create accessibility for possible blood donors in Nigeria.
Dr Odusanya, who was represented by the Assistant Chief Research Officer, NACETEM, Dr Ejim Eze Emmanuel, explained that from the comfort of people’s homes, they would be able to register without going to queue or go through administrative processes which could be bureaucratic, and would be able to schedule a convenient time for them to donate blood to those who need them.
He said that the scenario of the building collapse in Jos, Plateau State capital, where the state government was asking people to donate blood, can be averted when the hub is fully in place and functioning.
He said, “For now, we have created a blood hub, though we have not inaugurated the programme and have yet to launch the app. But they will be able to log on, access the data of people who are injured, and ask for blood through this application that we have.
“The link is being shared. We would also share it with the newsmen so that Nigerians would be aware of such blood donation, and then they can ask for facilities of blood that are linked to this blood hub, and they can get blood freely from the locations where they are.”
He added that Dr Amao of the NIMR was meeting with the 36 state health commissioners to include sub-national governments so that people can access it.
Also, in her speech, one of the resource persons, Dr Evelyn Abraham, of the Pediatrics Department, Maternal and Child Centre, Amuwo—Odofin, Lagos State, said that innovation holds the key to transforming Nigeria’s blood donation landscape.
According to her, blood is a critical resource for saving lives, but 75 per cent of the blood in blood banks in the country comes from commercial donors.
She noted, “Voluntary blood donation is considered the backbone of blood safety and transfusion, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that the blood donation rate in developing countries, including Nigeria, is just 5 in 1000. That is very low. And compared to developed countries, it is 33 to 1000.”
Dr Abraham called for support for technology-driven initiatives, collaboration between healthcare providers, NGOs, and technical companies, and advocacies that support the adoption of blood donation technology.
“There’s a need to support and expand technology-driven solutions while fostering a culture of voluntary blood donation.
“Let us key into innovations, for example, the live bank and the drone deliveries, as this will help us in blood donations in cases of emergency and the use of public education, and campaigns to keep reliance on voluntary rather than replacement donation is crucial, ” she concluded.
Meanwhile, the WHO has lauded the deployment of technology to manage blood donations in the country, saying it looks forward to implementing the platform.
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