Blood service, Rotary club collaborate to stock blood bank

The National Blood Service is collaborating with the Rotary Club to embark on a nationwide blood donation campaign from October 6, 2016.

The campaign, according to the Club, is to draw national attention to the need for people to donate blood voluntarily.

At an event to launch the programme, the Service Project Director for the Club, Maame Kwaba Stevens said, the initiative would address the shortage of blood in the country and make blood donation a lifestyle among Ghanaians.

“All the time, Korle Bu and 37 military hospitals call on people to donate blood. Donation must be a lifestyle. The country gets about half of the blood it needs and even if the current donors were donating half as much as they do, we won't still meet the target. But usually people just wait till a loved one needs blood before they donate and that's why it must be a lifestyle.”

She added that the donation would be done across the country by all the Rotary Clubs in each region to enable them stock the Blood Bank.

“We will start next week, that's October 6^th to 8^th in Bolgatanga, Tamale, Wa. Then we will move to Sunyani, Kumasi, and then Cape Coast, Takoradi, Ho, Koforidua, and finally, the last one in Accra. With Christmas just around the corner, the best gift to give, is the gift of life and what other way than through blood donation.”

Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Blood Bank, Dr Justina Ansah said there was a need for constant donation since the bank was almost short of blood.

“Blood has a shelf life of 35 days so if you donate blood today within 35 days that blood cannot be used, that's why people must donate constantly. People need to donate every day because the demand is high. On our part we have made available unit fridges to store blood. We recently distributed fridges so we now have the storage facilities but we don't have the quantity of blood needed. So we are very happy about this nationwide campaign.”

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By: Felicia Osei/citifmonline.com/Ghana