Ashaiman 'Community Parliament' donates blood

MEMBERS OF the Ashaiman Zongo 'Community Parliament', a community-based organization, and some residents embarked on a blood donation exercise for the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) over the weekend.

The Chairman of the organisation, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, told DAILY GUIDE that the exercise which formed part of their social services was to help stock the KBTH Blood Bank, a facility he described as very important.

He said the exercise was the sixth in succession embarked upon by the organisation since its inception in 2003, and that members donate blood twice to the KBTH every year.

“The number of Ghanaians especially women who lose their lives at our various hospitals due to lack of blood is so disheartening, hence our decision to organise the yearly blood donation exercise.”

Alhaji Abubakar was disappointed that some members did not participate in the exercise aimed at saving Ghanaian lives, saying some people hold negative perceptions that giving blood could kill them or make them look older than their true age.  

“If we as Ghanaians do not stock our own blood centres at the various health facilities, who are we expecting to come from outside this country to do that for us?” he asked.

He also expressed worry about the way some corporate institutions kept turning the organization down anytime it approached them to sponsor their activities especially the yearly blood donations.

Programmes Coordinator of Zongo 'Community Parliament', Alhaji Ibrahim Salisu Yaro who is also the Ashaiman Zongo Community Chief, noted that apart from the blood donations, the organisation was also financing some brilliant but needy students from the community from its educational fund.  

The Zongo Chief stated that the organisation since its inception had also donated some items to inmates of the Tema General Hospital, held clean-up exercises in the area and organised several seminars for both the youth and old, all in a bid to ensure that residents helped contribute to the development of Ashaiman.

He noted that the 'Community Parliament' last year spent about GH¢1,300 to organise the exercise. This year, the cost increased to about GH¢1,700.

Asked how the organisation was able to fund its activities especially the blood donation, Alhaji Yaro explained that members of the group and the community contributed towards it.

He said with more than 500 members donating blood over the years, the organisation had won an award from the National Blood Transfusion Organisation for its input.

John Ahadjie, Deputy Chief Blood Donor Organiser of the Korle-Bu Blood Centre who supervised the exercise, commended the group for their continuous donation to his outfit. He remarked that the gesture by the group was worthy of emulation, and appealed to the public to follow suit.

“When groups like the Zongo 'Community Parliament' embarks on blood donation exercises, they do the nation more good than they can ever imagine,” he added.

He refuted allegations that blood stored at various health facilities nationwide was not always screened for diseases like Hepatitis A & B, HIV/AIDS and Syphilis beforehand.

From Razak Mardorgyz Abubakar, Ashaiman