Mothers, children require nearly 190,000 pints of blood every year

Statistics from the Ghana Health Service reveal that loss of blood during delivery (haemorrhage) is the leading cause of maternal deaths in Ghana.

Out of the 250,000 pints of blood needed yearly, mothers and children require 75 percent (187,500 pints) but only 66 percent is obtained.

This situation has complicated efforts to improve maternal and child health in Ghana.

As part of a public engagement strategy to ensure the availability of blood, the MamaYe Campaign, an initiated by Evidence for Action, a multi-year programme which aims to improve maternal and newborn survival in sub-Saharan Africa, will organize a blood donation activity on Friday, March 8, 2013 at the Efua Sutherland Park (Children's Park) to raise awareness and educate Ghanaians on the need for donating blood to save the lives of mothers and their newborn.

March 8 is Internationally Women's Day; a day set aside to encourage collective efforts of all who care about the rights of women.

In view of this, the MamaYe Ghana campaign will use the day to solicit support for women and children across the country.

The MamaYe campaign, which is being run by the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR) in partnership with the School of Public Health, University of Ghana, was officially launched on February 26, 2013.

The blood drive is the third major activity in the campaign following the digital launch of the MamaYe Ghana website – www.mamaye.org.gh – and social media platforms as well as the physical launch of the campaign.

Executive Director of ARHR, Ms Vicky Okine, said in an interview that: “The least anyone can do is to just talk about the situation. The real deal is in taking a stance and doing something about maternal and child healthcare.”

She said it is one of the many activities designed to increase public awareness and to facilitate public discussions on maternal and newborn health in the country.

“Anybody can give blood and the truth is, if we can encourage this attitude, the positive ripple effect is enormous for the society and the country as a whole. So come and let's make a difference in the lives of mothers and children on Friday,” she intimated.

The exercise will commence at 7:00AM prompt on Friday.