NBSA Hosts Two-Day Training Workshop for Hospital Transfusion Committee Members
The National Blood Service Agency (NBSA) today commenced a two-day training workshop for Hospital Transfusion Committee (HTC) members across the country, as part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen blood transfusion safety and improve quality assurance in healthcare facilities nationwide.
The workshop, which is taking place in Abuja, brings together participants from federal, state, and private hospitals to build their capacity in ensuring the safe and effective use of blood and blood products within their respective institutions.
Declaring the workshop open, the Director of Hospital Services, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Jimoh Olawale Salaudeen, commended the NBSA for its leadership and sustained drive to improve transfusion safety standards across Nigeria. He emphasized the pivotal role of Hospital Transfusion Committees in promoting rational use of blood, ensuring compliance with national policies, and improving patient outcomes.
“Hospital Transfusion Committees are the backbone of safe blood practice. They ensure that every transfusion given is necessary, safe, and properly monitored,” Dr. Salaudeen stated, reaffirming the Ministry’s support for NBSA’s capacity-building initiatives.
In his welcome address, the Director General of the National Blood Service Agency, Prof. Saleh Yuguda, warmly welcomed participants and urged them to make the most of the training to strengthen transfusion services in their hospitals.
> “This training is not just an academic exercise — it is a call to action,” Prof. Yuguda said. “We expect participants to take these lessons back to their hospitals, implement them, and step down the knowledge to their teams. The ultimate goal is to improve the safety, efficiency, and quality of blood transfusion services across Nigeria.”
The workshop features technical presentations, group discussions, and experience-sharing sessions covering key areas such as:
Development and implementation of hospital transfusion policies
Effective monitoring of transfusion practices
Introduction to the Nigeria Haemovigilance System
Ensuring blood product safety
Continuous quality improvement in the transfusion chain
Participants — drawn from different regions of the country — are expected to cascade the training to other members of their Hospital Transfusion Committees and extend the knowledge to health professionals within their institutions.
The two-day workshop underscores the NBSA’s commitment to building a coordinated, efficient, and quality-driven blood transfusion system that meets national needs and aligns with global best practices.
