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By Doris Obinna
The Lagos State Government has intensified efforts to secure international accreditation for its blood transfusion services, as the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS) rallied its workforce around teamwork and quality improvement at a two-day engagement forum held in Lagos.
The forum, organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Health, brought together management, technical staff, volunteers and facilitators to review internal processes, identify operational gaps and develop measurable performance indicators aimed at strengthening safe and reliable blood transfusion services across the state.
The two-day forum was held at the Providence Hotel, Ikeja, and the conference hall of the Debt Management Office in Alausa-Ikeja, with the theme “Accreditation as a shared goal: Strengthening teamwork and quality for safe, reliable blood transfusion services.”
Executive Secretary, LSBTS, Dr Bodunrin Osikomaiya, described the initiative as a strategic shift from episodic training programmes to a sustained institutional process anchored on collaboration and accountability among all cadres of staff.
She said the forum provided an opportunity for the service to examine past challenges, consolidate achievements and identify why some gains were not sustained, with a view to strengthening existing systems and ensuring continuous quality improvement.
Osikomaiya emphasised that the sessions focused on teamwork, team building and leadership development, noting that effective collaboration would make it easier to achieve accreditation goals and maintain standards beyond the training period.
According to her, the engagement was highly interactive, with each unit documenting achievable targets using existing standard operating procedures and guidelines, while the monitoring and enforcement subcommittee was tasked with ensuring follow-up on agreed initiatives.
Facilitator and retired Major-General, Mrs Tilewa Amosu, said the retreat created a platform for bonding and role clarity among personnel whose duties require seamless collaboration, adding that it would help align operations with international expectations and strengthen recognition for the service.
Consultant haematologist Dr Orolu Adebukola said the programme was designed to ensure that every staff member understood their role in achieving accreditation, noting that the service was aligning its processes with the standards of the African Society for Blood Transfusion and the National Blood Service Agency.
Participants, including quality assurance manager Taiwo Oloko and staff member Oluwasiji Damilola, described the training as transformative, saying it reinforced the understanding that accreditation is a shared responsibility and would ultimately boost public confidence in the safety and reliability of blood services in Lagos State.
