BY CHIOMA OBINNA

The problems bedeviling blood trans

fusion practice in the country may not be unconnected with the fact that only 50 registered haematologists are serving 140 million Nigerians. The lack of technological know-how to fully utilise fracturnation (separation of blood into different components) – one of the most modern ways of blood transfusion, is another challenge.

These were some of the revelations made weekend during a press conference to announce the first ever Africa Society for Blood Transfusion (AFSBT) international conference/inaugural meeting taking place March 29-30, 2011 at the De Renaissance Hotel in Lagos. Vice President AFSBT, ECOWAS sub- Region, Prof. Banji Adewuyi noted that in an ideal society, the ratio of haematologists to patients should at least be 1 to 100,000.

Adewuyi who regretted that although the World Health organisation (WHO) has no specific ratio for haematology practice said Nigeria lacks experts in the field of haematology.

He said the AFSBT was out to promote knowledge and professional practice of blood transfusion, towards attaining greater quality, safety and sufficiency of blood in Africa.

From left; is Dr Alami Suleimon Akanmu, Local Organising Committee, Prof. Banji Adewuyi, Vice President Africa Soceity for Blood Transfusion (AFSBT), ECOWAS Sub- Region, and Dr. Mrs Titi Adeyemo, Secertary to the Local Organising Committee during a press conference to announce the forth coming Inugaural meeting of AFSBT in Lagos last week.

It is also to advocate for improvement in blood safety and sufficiency, setting standards and goals, as well as extension of frontiers of knowledge in blood transfusion science and practice through research and publication of findings.

Dr Suleimon Akanmu, Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, who said the inaugural conference would bring the subject of transfusion to the front burner described the problem of blood transfusion in the country and Africa as a whole as huge.

Akanmu who noted that delegates to the inaugural conference would be coming from various ECOWAS countries said the focus would be the issue of blood safety.

Akanmu said lack of safe blood transfusion had cost many Nigerians their lives.

“In most cases, people do not need a whole blood but a fraction. But in Nigeria due to lack of infrastructures and modern way of blood screening and transfusion, many have gone because they were given more blood than they require. The standard practice anywhere in the world is to fracture blood into components but unfortunately, in Nigeria, we do not have such facilities.”