Ibadan, Nigeria – A trip to the city of Ibadan in southwest Nigeria is greeted by red, corrugated roofs and crowded open-air markets. The historic city center is filled with narrow, unpaved roads and heavy traffic.
Opeyemi Dasola lives at the edge of the city in a square fortress of cement that provides a calm escape from the chaos outside. Dasola, a cheese seller, lives with her 17-year-old daughter, Fowarogun, who has been diagnosed with sickle cell anemia since the age of four. The hereditary condition greatly affects her life, causing severe pain and requiring regular blood transfusions to stay healthy.
The shortage of blood in Nigeria has created a desperate situation for patients like Fowarogun. Severe shortages have led to the rise of a black market for blood donations, putting patients at risk as they struggle to find safe, quality blood for transfusions.
To address the blood shortage, the National Blood Transfusion Commission is trying to encourage voluntary donations through official channels. Currently, most hospitals rely on a troubling practice known as “family replacement,” where patients are responsible for finding their own blood donors.
The situation has put immense pressure on patients and their families, especially those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. It has led to illegal commercial donations, unregulated and unmonitored blood banks, and concerns over the quality and safety of blood used in hospitals.
Fowarogun’s family has been plunged into debt to pay for her blood transfusions, which cost about $70 each. The constant struggle to secure safe blood has taken a major toll on her family’s finances and health.
The future looks uncertain, as Fowarogun has already given up on her dream of becoming a nurse due to the financial burden of her medical treatment. With no reliable and safe source of blood, her family is left with a sense of dread about how they will continue to afford the treatments she needs to stay alive.
The situation in Nigeria has led to widespread anxiety and hardship for patients and their families. With the current inability to find a solution, the foreseeable future looks bleak for many like Fowarogun.