NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AND PLATEAU STATE ASSEMBLY HOLD PUBLICHEARING ON BILLS TO ESTABLISH BLOOD SERVICE COMMISSIONS.

In June 2019, His Excellency Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong, the Executive Governor of Plateau State commissioned an ARCHITECT i2000SR Immunoasay Analyzer Abott for screening of blood in the Zonal Blood Transfusion Service Centre located inside Plateau State Specialist Hospital, Jos. The team that facilitated the installation of the machine requested that there is need for Plateau State to contribute in managing the Zonal Centre very well because of the state-of-the-art equipment installed in the Centre. A need to develop a robust legislative frame work that will help in blood transfusion coordination and regulation in Plateau State to meet up with global standard was therefore identified. The risk of transmission of serious infections, including HIV, Hepatitis (B&C) and Syphilis through unsafe blood and chronic blood shortages brought global attention to the importance of blood safety and availability with the goal of ensuring universal access to safe blood and blood product.

Following series of oversight conducted by House Committee on Health, PLHA observed that attainment of blood transfusion safety in Plateau State is too demanding due to a number of factors, ranging from shortage of blood, poor implementation of blood transfusion guidelines, infrastructural deficits to high prevalence of transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs), particularly syphilis, hepatitis and human immune deficiency virus hence the need to legislate.
The Bill therefore, if accepted by the public and passed into Law, will address challenges of the availability and transfusion of safe blood. It will establish safe, available and affordable blood transfusion services in the State through encouraging adequate blood donor recruitment, donor blood screening and collection as well developing strategies for the rational use of blood. The Bill will promote continuous public enlightenment campaigns on blood donation and system improvement to drive current transfusion practices in the State towards safety and sustenance.
It will also address challenges of supply deficits.

Blood transfusion saves lives and improves health but many patients requiring transfusion do not have timely access to safe blood. Providing safe and adequate blood should be an integral part of Plateau State Health Care Policy and Infrastructure. This Bill will go a long way towards achieving this. WHO has recommended that all activities related to blood collection, testing, processing, storage and distribution be coordinated at all levels through effective organization and integrated blood supply networks. This is completely lacking in Plateau State. The Bill will promote uniform implementation of standards and consistency in the quality and safety of blood and blood products in Plateau State. WHO also recommends the development of systems, such as hospital transfusion committees and haemovigilance, to monitor and improve the safety of transfusion process.
PLHA observed that most private and public hospitals do not have Committee for haemovigilance, and where they exist, they are not functional. The proposed State Commission shall work towards enforcing haemovigilance, encouraging voluntary unpaid and family/ replacement donors than paid donors geared towards adequate and reliable supply of safe blood.

This Bill will address issue to do with unnecessary transfusions and unsafe transfusion practices which always expose patients to the risk of serious adverse transfusion reactions and transfusion-transmissible infection.
The Bill passed Second Reading on the floor of the House after which a call was put out to the Public to express their opinions on the Bill which will if passed and signed into law establish a Blood Transfusion Commission for Plateau State for the coordination, regulation and assessment of blood donors, blood and blood products, and banking administration as well as identifying training needs on blood transfusion, providing modalities for addressing challenges, publicizing information relating to Blood Transfusion services and liaising with relevant establishments within and outside Nigeria in pursuance of her goals. The Bill will also stipulate punitive measures for violators of
professional ethics by proprietors and operators, including quacks and anyone who obstructs any member of the Commission from carrying out his duty in the course of enforcing the law.
Unfortunately, the public hearing of the Bill generated unhealthy debate and ended in a stalemate. All the Professional Health Associations represented in the hearing insisted that they are the most qualified to head the proposed Commission. The display of professional rivalry was on the high side. PLHA and stakeholders resolved to drop the Bill and conduct a stakeholder consultative meeting with Health Professional Associations and other stakeholders before taking further decision.

Meanwhile, Committee on Healthcare Service, House of Representatives, National Assembly, Abuja would be hosting members of the public and stakeholders in the Health Sector to a public hearing of the Bill for an Act to Establish the National Blood Service Commission to Coordinate, Regulate and Ensure the Provision of Quality Blood and Blood Products and for Related Matters on Thursday the 23rd of July, 2020 at the Conference Room 028, New Building House of Representatives Wing National Assembly Complex Abuja by 10am.