The Federal Government, through the National Blood Service Agency (NBSA), has started efforts to harmonise the cost of blood in hospitals across Nigeria. The move aims to make blood transfusion services fair, transparent, and accessible to all patients.
Professor Saleh Yuguda, Director General of the Agency, spoke on the initiative in Abuja during a workshop for members of Hospital Transfusion Committees (HTCs).
He explained that the harmonisation became necessary after widespread complaints about the high and inconsistent charges for blood in hospitals. Many patients, he said, were burdened with paying for blood that was not even used, often without refunds.
“Blood is a public good. What we are doing is to ensure that the system works in a fair and transparent manner, so that Nigerians can have access to safe blood when they need it, without being exploited,” Professor Yuguda said.
While some stakeholders have suggested full government subsidy for blood, the DG noted that a partial subsidy already exists.
“The government currently bears the major cost involved in the collection, screening, and processing of blood,” he said.
Professor Yuguda said the NBSA’s next step is to work with hospital administrators and state health authorities to align hospital pricing with national guidelines once the harmonisation framework is ready.
In the meantime, the Agency has begun talks with manufacturers and suppliers of blood consumables, especially blood bag producers, to address high operating costs. He added the goal is to “centralize and stabilizing the prices of these essential items to reflect Nigeria’s economic realities.”
He stressed that predictable and affordable pricing for consumables would help hospitals provide transfusion services more efficiently and ethically, reducing the financial burden on patients.
Also contributing to the discussion, Professor Philip Olatunji, an expert in haematology and transfusion medicine, criticised the increasing commercialisation of blood services in some facilities.
“There must be a sense of good conscience in practice,” he said. “You cannot claim to exist to save lives and then end up losing lives because of your revenue drive. The blood service should not be a profit-making venture; it should be a life-saving responsibility.”
Professor Olatunji urged healthcare providers to balance sustainability with compassion, adding that “moderation is a virtue the system must rediscover.”
Some health policy experts at the workshop cautioned that introducing a uniform pricing system may be challenging in Nigeria’s deregulated healthcare sector, where hospitals have diverse financial and administrative structures.
They agreed, however, that the NBSA’s harmonisation plan is a positive step toward a more transparent and equitable blood transfusion service nationwide.
The workshop, which included hospital transfusion officers, policymakers, and healthcare professionals, also highlighted the need for active Hospital Transfusion Committees to ensure national policy compliance, better blood utilisation, and patient safety.
For the NBSA, harmonising blood costs is more than an administrative reform—it is a moral duty to restore public confidence in Nigeria’s transfusion system and protect human life.
