By Ani Bassey
As part of moves to address the save lives and address the huge blood deficit in the country, the Calabar Nigeria Stake of Jesus Christ Church of Latter Day Saints donated blood to public hospitals in Calabar.
The donation is basically aimed at saving lives and helping address emergencies that are related to blood in the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital and the General Hospital Calabar.
In Nigeria, the culture of blood donation is relatively low and the country has a huge blood deficit at it’s blood banks across the country.
Nigeria’s estimated blood need has been put at about 2 million units per year whereas the current collection falls much less.
This has left in it’s trail unmet needs leading to avoidable deaths, morbidities and ill health.
This fact was highlighted by the Honourable Minister for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire during the World Blood Donor Day in 2019.
The minister said, “In 2019, about 24,483 units of blood were collected from volunteer blood donors through 17 centres of the NBTS network.
“This gives a deficit of 4,807 units of blood issued over the voluntarily donated units”, he said.
Similarly, the World Health Organisation also highlighted the need for more blood donation during this year’s World Blood Donor Day which had as theme “Give blood and keep the world beating”.
The WHO in it’s media advisory said “safe blood and blood products and their transfusion are a critical aspect of care and public health.
“They save millions of lives and improve the health and quality of life of many patients every day.
“The need for blood is universal, but access to blood for all those who need it is not. Blood shortages are particularly acute in developing countries.
“To ensure that everyone who needs safe blood has access to it, all countries need voluntary, unpaid donors who give blood regularly”, the WHO said.
In line with the need to save lives, The Calabar Nigeria Stake of the Jesus Christ Church of Latter Day Saints have donated blood to public hospitals in Calabar.
The donation is part of the church’s activities to mark it’s end of year programme which has as theme “Light of the world”.
As part of the activities about 100 members of the church donated blood to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital and the General hospital, Calabar to enrich it’s blood bank and help save lives.
Alex Ngoro, Calabar Nigeria Stake President, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints said it’s a little effort of the church to light up the world.
He emphasized that this is consistent with the teachings of Jesus Christ who freely gave his life for us.
“We are here to donate blood freely to the hospital so that it can be used for those who cannot afford to get blood and its also a little bit of lighting the world this December as members of the church we embarked on lighting the world.
“We follow the example of our master, our lord and saviour Jesus Christ who freely gave his life for all of us so that we can have a new relationship with him in the presence of God.
“Jesus Christ did something that is very rare and so as his followers we must follow his footsteps.
“That is why we also came out here, even if people are not doing it so long as our master is doing it we have to do it.
“We should emulate the example of Jesus Christ because Christ was very selfless in his service and because of that as his followers we are under obligation to also give freely that which we have”, he said.
Speaking further, he said “In all we would have been more than fifty but the hospital said what they are looking at is fifty so we have to streamline to that number.
“There are those who could have the money to even pay but its not possible for them to get the blood and so we are very general about it, we don’t care if the blood is going to be sold what we care is that anytime anyone walks in here to get blood it is available”, he said.
The Calabar stake president added that they hope this will be an annual event and they are partnering with the University of Calabar teaching Hospital as well as the General Hospital Calabar.
In his reaction, Dr. Bassey O. Bassey, Consultant Haematologist and Head of the Donor Clinic of the Hospital said the donation is a dream come true.
“It is a dream come true because this is what this unit advocates.
“We actually go out looking for churches, clubs, organisations, associations to come in with their members to donate blood.
They came to us on their own that as part of their church programme of giving Wednesday they want to bring their members in good numbers to donate blood to be used for the service of the hospital.
“The blood is reserved for emergency purposes to save lives because when somebody is coming deliberately for an operation, the doctor will ask them to make arrangement for one or two units of blood.
“So the one they have come to put in the blood bank maybe there is an accident somewhere, pregnant woman who is having issues during delivery and needs some units, we have enough to do that”, he said.
He stressed that they are happy about this and even the hospital management is happy because we will have what to give out to patients when the need arises so it’s a positive thing to the church and also for the department.
Eke Nnena, one of the donors in her reaction said she feels so happy because this is an opportunity to save lives.
On his part, EnoAbasi Thompson, said this is a commandment and directive given to one of the prophets and he is happy to harken to some of those things.
As the theme for this year suggested, donors make essential contribution to keeping the world pulsating by saving lives and improving others’ health.
It is the expected that this gesture will reinforce the global call for more people all over the world to donate blood regularly and contribute to better health.
