By: Stephen Addai-Baah, Public Relations Officer, Ghana National Blood Service.
The mention of blood for whatever reason draws rapt attention. The need for blood transfusion is very essential and critical in the life of every individual, especially in critical health conditions or situations. It is for this reason, that blood Services all over the world have the responsibility to ensure blood and blood products are always available in large quantities, ensuring it’s safety, quality, as well as distribution to both public and private health facilities across/in the country.
In Ghana, the National Blood Service is the only agency mandated by the Ministry of Health to carry out this obligation. More importantly, the service is required to educate and inform the general public about the need to donate blood on a voluntary basis and the benefits therein for the voluntary blood donor.
Voluntary Blood donation in recent times has become a very big concern in Ghana today, largely because, majority of the populace still do not appreciate the essence of free blood donation on a regular basis. They prefer to wait until emergency situations/strikes before they are asked to donate blood.
As Ghana joins the rest of the world to commemorate World Blood Donor Day on Tuesday, May 14, 2022, it is important to note that blood donation is not just an exercise, but has many health benefits to human life and the donor.
The first benefit of donating blood according to health professionals is that it can help to reduce the risk of developing diseases including cancer. The experts say that while in the process of donating blood, it reduces the donor’s iron associated with lower cancer and mortality.
The second benefit for donating blood, according to research, is that blood donation may also lower the donor’s risk from heart attack. It is often recommended by blood service officials that blood donation should be done in four months’ intervals.This means that one can donate at least three times in a year. This goes a long way to benefit the donor and help to reduce the risk of heart attack by eighty-eight percent.
Another benefit of voluntary blood donation, the experts say, can help in the mental state of the donor. The psychology of you knowing that the blood donated goes a long way to save the life of someone or another person, somewhere, is in itself very fulfilling and that can go to the extent of satisfying one’s mental health/condition.
One other great benefit of blood donation and for that matter donating voluntarily is that regular blood donation reveals most potential health problems that may not be physically known to the donor. These health conditions may include high blood pressure, known as BP, body temperature, weight, haemoglobin level among others. |t is afact, that not many citizens would go for regular medical checkups, perhaps due to socio-economic reasons.
However, when one avails him or herself for regular voluntary blood donation, these are the accompanying benefits that one will derive from donating or attempting to donate blood. Not only will one be told of his/her health status during the process of health check before the blood donation process, the person will also get free medical advice as to what to do to improve on the health condition of the individual, assuming that a person did not qualify at that moment to donate blood.
For example, if your blood level is too low at the time, you will not be able to give blood. This according to experts, is a healthy exercise for everyone because, failure to regularly check your blood quality as individuals could lead to a life-threatening condition.It is often said that blood is life and this is true because, all over the world, including Ghana,every two seconds, someone needs blood. At the Southern Zonal Blood Centre alone, as many as 400 to 450 units of blood is needed daily to save lives of patients at the various health facilities that form part of the catchment areas within the southern zonal centre and this is a very sad situation in Ghana.
Many friends, family and loved ones are losing their lives,due to non-availability of blood at the various hospital blood banks across the country. Voluntary blood donation, which is supposed to be a civic responsibility for all Ghanaians is in sharp decline. It appears the spirit of volunteerism is dying among the people. But the reality is, blood must be available at all times to save the lives of patients who need them, some of whom may be our relatives at one point or the other. We have a responsibility as a people to rise to the occasion and save the situation. We must resolve to avoid all the needless deaths that occur at the hospitals because of blood shortage.
The only way out is for all potential donors to donate blood on a regular basis. In emergencies, waiting means death. So let us not wait till a family member, a friend or relative is in need of blood before we are called upon to donate. At that time, it may be too late for the patient. Blood is essential, it is a drug, critically needed for survival. And because blood is not manufactured, it is our civic duty to keep donating, so the we can give life to others again. Accident victims, cancer patients, people with sickle cell diseases, children with anemic conditions and several other cases all require blood transfusion to manage these clinical conditions and without blood, most of these people may not survive.
On this occasion of World Blood Donor Day, let us remind ourselves as citizens that the very survival of others depends on us. Perhaps, donating blood to save a life that you might not know could be your gift to the world and mankind, so why/don’t wait? Tomorrow maybe too late for you to save a life.
The call to action to regularly and voluntarily donate blood is now. For many people, blood donation is a no go area. This is because of the various myths that some people have. Some believe they might contract certain diseases or infections.Others believe it is time consuming, painful and many other negative beliefs. The fact is, all these myths are not true and are only meant to discourage people from donating blood.
Blood donation is safe, it saves lives, it will not make you sick or impotent in the case of men,but rather boosts your energy and blood circulation level. As the theme for this year’s World blood donor day suggests, “Donating blood is an act of solidarity”, so let us all join the effort and save lives.