Blood Service Commission Appeals for Increased Funding

As the world marks the blood donor day, the National Blood Service Commission, (NBSC), has called on the Nigerian Government to increase the budgetary allocation to the Enugu center of the commission.

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He also requested support to equip the commission with adequate manpower, provide operational vehicles to enhance productivity in the Center.

The Acting Director of the National Blood Service Commission, (NBSC), Enugu center, Mrs Irene Igweze, in an interview with Voice of Nigeria in Enugu, said the center has been hindered by inadequate funding.

According to her, “We need the vehicles for us to enter the rural areas for sensitisation and awareness, our services are more in the urban areas and this limits the number of people we reach. In Ebonyi State for instance, we don’t have all the time to go there, because of difficulty of movement.”

She noted that the Enugu Center of the NBSC was battling with challenges of advocacy, which he said could be solved by educating the people about what blood donation entails.

“Many people don’t know what blood donation entails, even if you go to churches, offices, schools and markets, even after all the jungles and road show, people will still not understand what blood donation entails,” she said.

Mrs Igweze said that the attitude of people towards voluntary blood donation is discouraging, as some people believe that their blood would be used for fetish purposes.

“So, one of our challenges is creating awareness, for people to understand our purpose and know that blood is scarce and when you give it freely to someone you don’t know, you have a reward for it in heaven,” she said.

No fewer than two hundred voluntary blood donors patronizes the Enugu center of the National Blood Service Commission every year.

Lateefah Ibrahim