The Lagos State Commissioner of Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, has said the state government will not appeal the ruling banning the compulsory demand for blood donations from husbands of pregnant women seeking antenatal and maternity services in the state-owned hospitals.
He, however, warned that expectant mothers, accident victims and other persons who may need a blood transfusion in the course of treatment may suffer from the acute blood shortage that the ruling may eventually cause.
An Ikeja High Court in a judgment on Monday by Justice Raliat Adebiyi declared the practice as “arbitrary, unfair and a violation of human rights as enshrined in Section 38(1) of the 1999 Constitution.
The court subsequently ordered government hospitals in the state to stop demanding compulsory blood donations from husbands of pregnant women seeking antenatal and maternity services.
The PUNCH HealthWise had, on February 9, 2020, reported that: Corruption, anti-poor policies worsen acute blood shortages at Lagos’ hospitals.
But the judgment was delivered following a fundamental human rights suit filed by the trustees of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project.
Reacting to the judgment, Abayomi said the state government had banned compulsory blood donations in all its hospitals before the court judgment on Monday.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with PUNCH HealthWise, the commissioner said, “The judgment is in line with the already existing Ministry of Health policy on elimination of compulsory pre-antenatal registration blood donation via circular No: LSMH 1638/VOL T/19, dated 2nd of April, 2019 and with the World Health Organisation’s mandate of having 100 percent voluntary blood donation by 2020.
“Following this policy, voluntary blood donation had increased by 22 percent.
“The state government will not appeal the judgment.”
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