Heroes in Veins: The Untold Power of Blood Donation

Prof. Hannah Olawumi, Department of Haematology, Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences, University of Ilorin has called for increased enlightenment about safety of blood donation.

She made the call on Thursday in Ilorin during the 279th UNILORIN Inaugural Lecture with the theme “Heroes without Capes: The Life-saving Power of Blood Sacrifice.”

Olawumi, who said that enlightenment and advocacy would allay the fears of prospective blood donors, urged health authorities to facilitate the organisation of blood donation programmes, backed by appropriate legislation to increase voluntary donation.

She said adequate funds should be provided for more intensive advocacy for voluntary blood donation.

She added that “the National Orientation Agency should engage in blood donor education and advocacy to dispel myths about donation.

“The donor selection criteria should be reviewed periodically to ensure no discrimination of any kind, including gender, race, nationality or religion and to prevent unnecessary deferral of suitable donors.”

The lecturer said haematology is a branch of medicine, focused on the study of blood and blood-forming organs, including the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases affecting the blood.

She described voluntary blood donors as “heroes who are willing to take risks and make sacrifices for the benefit of others and to save lives.

“This is because every two seconds, someone around the world needs blood and depends on the kindness of strangers for survival. This staggering statistic is one of the most overlooked aspects of modern healthcare.”

Olawumi said that blood is essential for medical treatments but is often in short supply, especially for certain blood types like O-negative.

“Many patients depend on blood transfusion to survive, like women experiencing bleeding after childbirth, patients battling leukemia, those with sickle cell anaemia and patients undergoing cancer treatment.

“Also, patients that need organ transplant or major surgeries all depend on blood donations. So This transfusion of blood and blood products helps to save millions of lives each year.

“It enhances life expectancy and improve the quality of life for patients facing life-threatening conditions, while supporting complex medical and surgical procedures,” she said.

The don explained that one pint of blood could save up to three lives, because it could be separated into three components; red blood cells, plasma and platelets.

She said each part of the blood could assist different patients with various medical condition. (NAN).