Lokoja – Stakeholders have called on the Federal Government to absorb personnel of National Blood Transfusion Service Centres across the country laid off following donor agencies withdrawal of their sponsorship.
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The stakeholders, who made the appeal in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lokoja, said that the government should absorb the personnel laid off across the country.
They said that due to the withdrawal of the sponsorship of the centres by donor agencies, core medical and health personnel were relieved of their jobs across the country.
Mr Friday Ogungbemi, the 2015 Highest Blood Donor at the Lokoja Service Centre said the Federal Government should absorb the personnel into the Federal Civil Service.
“ The centres are important to primary and secondary healthcare delivery in making safe blood available and accessible to patients,’’ he said.
Mrs Erlinda Umoru, one of the affected personnel said that the workers were recruited by the Centre for Disease Control in conjunction with the Presidential Emergency Plan for Aids Relief.
Umoru, who is a Chief Medical Laboratory Scientist, said that they were recruited for a period between seven and 12 years.
She said that the requirement was subjected to annual review within the period until recently when the agencies notified the Federal Government of the intention to withdraw their sponsorship.
“The agencies notified government that with effect from Dec. 31, 2015, they would withdraw their sponsorship and services while the government should take over the management of the centres.
“They also said that government’s failure to formally take over the facilities would lead to disengagement of the workers and that is what has happened now.
“We are appealing to government to take over the centres and absorb the personnel,’’ the worker said.
Also speaking, Dr Steven Uwodi, the Coordinator of Lokoja centre said the centre could no longer perform its primary duty because of the challenge.
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Uwodi said that the centre could no longer perform its function of taking blood even as donors approach the centre daily since professionals for the job had been disengaged.
He appealed to the Federal Government to take over the centre and provide for its manpower requirements to achieve its mandate.
Speaking in same vein, Mr Abdul Miliky, the Executive Director of Centre for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR) said that the centres were too important to be neglected.
Miliky, however, urged the Federal Government to take them over with all their assets and liabilities.
He said that the Health Management Boards of the various states could in the interim, takeover the centres and pay their personnel to sustain the service pending the Federal Government intervention. (NAN)