Bauchi state to establish 20 new blood banks

The Bauchi State Government in northern Nigeria says it has concluded plans to establish functional Blood Banks in all the 27 General Hospitals.

The Executive Chairman, Bauchi State Hospitals Management Boards, Dr Abdul’Aziz Manga, told journalists on Saturday that the plan was to reduce the death of mothers and newborns resulting from lack of blood in hospitals.

Dr Manga said “those currently having standard blood banks are seven general hospitals and with available resources; we are going to collaborate with partners to make sure that we provide some.”

He said “we have strategised to establish functional blood banks in all the General Hospitals in Bauchi State, including some of the health facilities at the primary health care level.”

He gave assurances that “ in the next two or three months, the 27 General Hospitals in the state will have functional and standardised blood banks.”

  Dr Manga, to dispel myths and misconceptions which are hampering voluntary donation of blood, denied insinuations that blood donated by individuals was being used for cult activities. He said that blood donated by the people was strictly used in saving the lives of patients and nothing more.

The chairman said that the board would evolve a way whereby relations of beneficiaries of donated blood would be encouraged to ensure the hospitals maintained steady supplies.

VON.