Blood collections from organizations in north central Nigeria: a ten year review

Abstract

Introduction: Voluntary blood donors in most developing sub Saharan countries are scarcely available with little or no safe donor retention strategies despite the rampant disease and man-made causes of anaemia frequently needing transfusion. The exploration of blood donor sourcing through effective collaboration with organised settings may create a break through.

Aims: The study sought to determine the organisations and their contribution to blood collections at the blood service in North central Nigeria.

Methods: The records of blood collections in organizations within the North Central Nigeria from 2007 to 2017 were studied. The records of the blood donation clinics and units of blood collected in the organizations were collated. Data was analysed using epi info 2010 version.

Results: A total of 52,664 units were collected from volunteer donors at 756 blood donation clinics in three categories of organisations in North Central Nigeria from 2007 to 2017 with a ratio of 70 donations per clinic. 32,228 (61.20%) were from faith base organisations, 17,795 (33.79%) from educational institutions and 2,641 (5.01%) from work places. There were 478 (63.23%), 219 (28.97%) and 59 (7.80%) blood drive clinics with the mean donations rate of 67, 81 and 45 per clinics for the respective organisations.

Conclusion: Organizations in North Central Nigeria have contributed to voluntary blood donation. Collaboration between organizations and the blood service could lead to the attainment of national blood security.

Keywords: Organizations, North Central Nigeria, Blood, Collection