The Lagos State Government officially launched the HaemoCentral Blood Inventory Management System (BIMS) and the official website of the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Committee (LSBTC) to modernize and secure blood transfusion services across the state.
The launch event, held on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at the Providence by Mantis Hotel in Ikeja GRA, represents a major step forward in Lagos State’s digital health transformation agenda.
According to a statement signed by Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, Director of Public Affairs, HaemoCentral is a digital Blood Inventory Management System (BIMS) developed by the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Committee (LSBTC) to streamline blood donation, screening, inventory, and transfusion processes across public and private health facilities.
It ensures real-time tracking, equitable allocation, and improved access to safe blood, in line with the T.H.E.M.E.S Plus Agenda and the Lagos State Development Plan 2052.
Key features include donor appointment booking, barcode labelling for traceability, secure role-based data access, and integration with the Lagos Smart Health Information Platform (SHIP).
By replacing manual systems with digital efficiency, HaemoCentral addresses delays, inventory mismanagement, and safety concerns, while strengthening the state’s capacity to save lives through a reliable, tech-enabled blood service.
This will save lives — Dr. Ogunyemi
In her address at the event, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Health, Dr. (Mrs.) Kemi Ogunyemi, described the initiative as “long overdue” and rooted in deeply personal and professional experiences.
Recalling a troubling incident involving a family member’s fear of transfusion, she stressed that the launch of HaemoCentral would allay public fears and foster trust in Lagos’ health system.
“People think blood transfusion is like surgery. And it is, because if it’s not done properly, the patient can die,” she said.
Dr. Ogunyemi highlighted the human and emotional cost of poor transfusion protocols.
“I remember back at the Health Service Commission, we had a case of death linked to a transfusion. We realized then that there was no proper protocol. This system is going to change that,” she noted.
She commended the move from a manual process to digital tracking, asserting that HaemoCentral offers transparency, efficiency, and above all, safety.
She noted that the HaemoCentral system digitizes the entire blood value chain, from donor registration, screening, and cross-matching to inventory control, barcoding, quality audits, and haemovigilance.
These functionalities, she said, align with Lagos’ THEMES Plus agenda and the Lagos State Development Plan 2052, which focuses on people-centered innovation and technology-driven governance.
Data privacy and policy alignment
Emphasizing compliance and sustainability, Dr. Ogunyemi announced that the HaemoCentral platform underwent a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) to ensure alignment with Nigeria’s data protection laws.
She stressed that this was not only a technological solution but also a policy-aligned transformation with long-term impact on health outcomes.
“We are not just building systems. We are building trust. We are saving lives,” she said.
She also launched the LSBTC’s new website, describing it as a critical platform for public engagement, donor education, and professional collaboration. Urging all healthcare providers, youth groups, CSOs, and the general public to engage actively, she noted that “Voluntary blood donation is not just a civic responsibility, it is a lifeline.”
Earlier in his presentation on the LSBTC Journey to digitization of its services, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye, noted that the launch of the HaemoCentral was a defining moment in the digitization of the state’s healthcare system.
“We are presenting a system that reflects our commitment to safe, efficient, and data-driven blood services. It’s not just a platform, it’s a legacy,” he stated.
Dr. Ogboye emphasized the integration of HaemoCentral into SHIP, the Lagos State Smart Health Information Platform, saying it enables real-time data synchronization across public and private blood banks.
“This allows for streamlined operations and better-informed policy and clinical decisions,” he explained, adding that the initiative followed rigorous checks to ensure compliance with all regulatory and cybersecurity standards.
He also praised the LSBTC, the Digital Diagnostics team, and other technical partners for their dedication and expertise. “HaemoCentral is the result of deliberate teamwork and strategic innovation.
“This is how we move from vision to verifiable impact,” he noted.
The Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Committee (LSBTC), Dr. Bodunrin Osikomaiya, described the official launch of HaemoCentral and the LSBTC website as a defining moment in the evolution of blood services in Lagos.
She emphasized that this development is more than a milestone but a vital shift toward accountability, transparency, and life-saving precision.
