Lagos state commences modality for blood screening subsidy

The Lagos State Government has revealed that it has commenced plans to subsidise the cost of screening blood in the state to lessen the financial burden on transfusion facilities and patients. This was disclosed at a symposium and scientific conference organised by the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service to commemorate the 2023 World Blood Donor Day held at Alausa.

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This was made known in a statement released on Thursday by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye, who represented Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the event.

He explained that the move was to reduce the financial burden of grouping and cross-matching of blood products, as well as the transfusion process, on members of the public. Ogboye added that the LSBTS was currently working out modalities for the blood screening subsidy.

He said: “The challenge now is that the cost of preparing one pint of blood, including the grouping and cross-matching that has to be done before transfusion, is a little too high for the public to bear. So, what is happening currently is that the people who are screening the blood and the hospitals that are transfusing the blood are bearing the extra cost, and they are complaining about the extra cost. The Lagos Blood Transfusion Service is working on finding a way to get the government to pay the difference, so that the heavier cost is not transferred to the patients and that the health care providers that are grouping and cross-matching the blood don’t also keep losing money on each pint of blood that they transfuse,” he added.

Wumi/punch