Blood, Blood, Blood!

One of the best periods of my life was when I worked in a lovely hospital in South West Nigeria, I was a new doctor and I guess the excitement of finally practicing medicine coupled with the fact that I was working for a living could be said to contribute to the euphoria I felt then. I enjoyed everyday I spent there and many of the dreams I had for the future were birthed there.

As exciting as that time was, there were many frustrations. My lack of fluency in Yoruba was a major sore point, it was extremely frustrating to know exactly what it was I wanted to say and not be able to put it in words. The relative poverty of many of the patients who came into the hospital was another. What was the point of prescribing medications for someone who obviously needed it but could not afford to buy it? My salary was not the top of the scale but I still lived in relative luxury when compared to those I served.

The most frustrating thing for me though was not any of the above. It was having to get my patients relatives to donate blood. Blood donation was to say the least the last thing anyone in that locale wanted to do. I have many stories of my frustrations and the tears I shed (yes, I shamelessly cried on more than one occasion) over blood. One night I was on call when a man was brought in to the emergency room. He had been drinking and was riding his motorcycle on the highway. He unfortunately was hit by a trailer and came in with multiple injuries. It was a miracle he was still alive. He was rushed into theatre and needed blood, lots of it. Knowing that we would empty our blood bank that night, it was my duty to ensure that his relations and friends donated blood.

As was the usual practice in that area, many more people than was necessary escorted the patient to the hospital. So this young man had quite a crowd of followers, some genuine well wishers others people who thought a visit to the hospital would afford them enough gossip for the next day. I had quite a crowd of people that night and I expected to have many people offer to donate blood to the person they had brought in. After all nobody wanted him to die.

I launched into my best effort at speaking Yoruba, explaining that the 'ogbeni' they had brought in would survive mainly because of the blood he was getting now and how he needed more blood and how it was necessary to replenish the hospitals blood bank so that anyone who needed it during the next emergency would have blood and so on and so forth..... After what I thought was a passionate appeal that would wring blood out of any stony hearts present. I asked those who would like to donate blood to step forward. We were already in front of the blood bank.

An uneasy silence filled the air for a few seconds and before my very eyes the mammoth crowd of well wishers, friends and relations melted into thin air! I could have sworn that I had certainly not delivered my impassioned speech to ghosts! Less than a minute later two old men and two young girls who were barely in their teens stood before me, the old men holding on tightly to the girls. I thought the men were going to offer to donate blood and I was about to discourage them seeing that they were certainly too old for the business in question when they pushed the girls towards me as if offering goats in sacrifice and said that the two girls would donate blood!!!!

I can laugh now but then I was incensed! Two young girls barely 13 in my estimation. What had happened to all the virile young men who had brought in their friend? Gone, none of them remained. It seemed that they suddenly remembered their warm beds and young wives they left behind at home when I made the announcement for potential blood donors. We had emptied out our blood bank to save the life of their friend and it was a long time before we were able to get back all the blood that had been used that night.

Many times I have been asked by patients relatives where they can buy blood! I have a standard answer for them, Have they ever walked into a supermarket and seen human blood on the shelves waiting for eager buyers? Why did we have to ask for our blood bank to be replenished? We did not have voluntary blood donors who made it a regular habit to come in and donate blood. We relied on good hearted individuals most times the doctors, nurses, nursing and medical students who worked in the hospitals to come and donate blood!

The myths that surround blood donation in Naija are terrible! Ask anyone off the street to donate blood and the first question you get asked is 'what are you going to use my blood for'? Fair question but even after all the 'turanci' you speak, you find your efforts are wasted because the negative beliefs underlying blood donation are so ingrained in the society that even if you convince him to come give blood, there will be friends and family who will discourage him from donating. Yet if he happens to need blood, the same friends and family will be begging you to do produce blood from the 'never ending store of blood' you are supposed to have. Blood lost needs to be replaced, human blood cannot be replaced with the blood of goats, sheep and cows! How I wish that was possible that would have saved me so much energy back then.

Berachah Foundation- Blood for Life is just one place in the General Hospital Lagos premises. There are many Government Hospitals in Lagos state that will welcome you with open arms! And remember do not go alone, take 5 friends along with you and tell each them to bring another 5 friends with them. Make it a party! Save Lives today!