The Kwara State Government has inaugurated a State Blood Transfusion Committee with a view to strengthening its commitment to ensure that residents across the state have access to safe, adequate, and timely blood for medical care.
Speaking during the inauguration on Tuesday at the Ministry of Health, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Amina Ahmed El-Imam, described the formation of the committee as timely and critical.
She explained that the initiative becomes imperative as the state steps up efforts to reduce maternal deaths and other preventable fatalities linked to a shortage of safe blood.
Dr. El-Imam noted that although the process leading to the inauguration had taken time, the Ministry was glad to have reached this important stage.
She called on members of the committee to fully understand the weight of the responsibility placed on them, adding that the assignment would demand both their time and professional expertise.
The Commissioner who stressed that the impact of the committee goes beyond individual patient care, explained that while clinical practice saves one life at a time, the committee’s work will save many lives at once by strengthening the entire blood transfusion system.
According to the Commissioner,“You are not screening blood for one person; you are building a system that will save many lives at the same time”.
Dr. El-Imam assured the committee of the Ministry’s support to establish a functional, reliable, and sustainable blood transfusion system for the State.
She also expressed optimism that their work would lead to a long-term, full-scale structure capable of guaranteeing safe blood availability whenever it is needed.
In his remarks, the Committee Chairman, Dr. Sanni Musa, thanked the State Government for the confidence reposed on the team, pledging that the committee would immediately begin work and make tangible progress within a short period.