LASG Targets Sustainable Blood Supply Through Awareness, One-on-One Sensitisation Campaign

The Lagos State Government has renewed its drive to ensure a safe, adequate and sustainable blood supply with the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS) Voluntary Blood Donation Awareness and One-on-One Sensitisation Campaign held in Ikeja.

The campaign, themed “Voluntary Donors, Sustainable Blood: Securing Lagos State’s Blood Supply,” formed part of activities marking the LSBTS Blood Awareness Month and reinforced the state’s commitment to promoting voluntary, non-remunerated blood donation among residents.

Declaring the event open, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said Lagos, with an estimated population of about 30 million, requires between 200,000 and 250,000 units of blood annually to meet its healthcare needs. He disclosed that about 141,000 units were recorded in the last cycle, representing roughly 70 per cent of the target.

Prof. Abayomi described blood as a “liquid organ,” stressing that transfusion is comparable to organ transplantation and must follow strict scientific protocols, including rigorous screening and accurate donor-recipient matching, to prevent complications and infections.

He reassured residents that blood donation poses no health risk to eligible donors and urged especially young people to make it a regular practice, noting that every unit donated directly translates into lives saved across the state’s health facilities.

Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. (Mrs.) Kemi Ogunyemi, said the demand for blood is constant, cutting across childbirth complications, road traffic accidents, surgeries and other medical emergencies. She noted that the Sanwo-Olu administration has modernised blood transfusion services through digitisation, improved tracking systems and strengthened safety protocols.

The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Dayo Lajide, commended LSBTS and voluntary donors, noting that blood demand often rises during festive periods but remains a year-round necessity. Earlier, the Executive Secretary of LSBTS, Dr. Bodunrin Osikomaiya, said the campaign was designed to counter myths, take advocacy directly to communities and strengthen one-on-one sensitisation to address individual concerns.

The event featured awareness talks, donor mobilisation, voluntary blood donation and extensive sensitisation, alongside testimonies from regular donors who urged residents to see blood donation as a continuous civic duty, as Lagos State intensifies efforts to secure a reliable and safe blood supply for its growing population.