By Abiodun Alade

To address the current gap in the quantity of blood  supplied in the country and the actual amount the nation needs, High Life Church has launched a non-governmental Organisation called  LifeBlood Nigeria.

LifeBlood’s research shows Nigeria collects only 38 percent of the required amount of blood each year.

The official launch of the NGO, which coincided with this year’s edition of the World Blood Donor Day, was performed in Lagos by the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service, Dr (Mrs.) Modupe Olaiya, who was represented by Dr Samuel Alori.

Delivering the key note address, Olaiya reminded  that blood transfusion is an essential component of healthcare, saying: “To achieve safe and adequate supply of blood, blood donation must be voluntary and blood donation must also be regular. In line with World Health Organization (WHO), recommendations, all blood donations must come from voluntary donors and all blood donations should be screened for infections prior to use.”

He outlined some of the enduring challenges in blood transfusion in Nigeria to include sub-optimal recruitment and retention of voluntary; non-remunerated blood donors due to wrong cultural belief and lack of awareness surrounding the issue as well as the dependence on family replacement and commercial blood donors.

She commended  LifeBlood Nigeria  initiative and also applauded  High Life Church  for an excellent start with voluntary blood donation and commended the global nature of the campaign, saying that  LifeBlood’s  goals are achievable.

In his remarks, Pastor Carlton Williams of  High Life Church  enjoined the congregation and well-wishers to change the world from where they are seated, saying that the understanding of the church’s role in society must change.

According to Pastor Williams, “The era of mere doctrinal purity is past. The time of limiting our expression of Christ to just understanding the plan of God for an individual’s life is past. This is the day when nations are impacted by the structures of the kingdom through you and me.”