By Naa Atwei Sowah
Donating blood has been a very critical issue over the past few years with the myths and skepticism related to it.
Many people have lost their lives due to the shortage of blood at some hospitals especially during emergency situations.
In view of this, the Ministry of Health has appealed to Ghanaians to support and accept voluntary blood donation being championed by various institutions and religious groups as a civic responsibility and service to the country.
In this way, the country needs to redouble its efforts and refrain from the family replacement system to achieve WHO’s strategy of attaining a 100% voluntary blood donation target set for all countries by 2025.
Speaking on behalf of the Health Minister at the launch of the 2022 National Voluntary Blood Donation campaign in Accra, Director of Pharmaceutical Service at the Ministry, Dr. Joycelyn Naa Korkoi Azeez, called for intensified blood donor education campaigns nationwide to rekindle volunteerism in donating blood.
The National Blood Service has been bedeviled with challenges and has been amongst the worst-hit since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many people have refused to donate blood to the institution to augment the blood banks in various hospitals across the country and this has become worrying to them.
Director of Pharmaceutical Service at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Joycelyn Naa Korkoi Azeez, encouraged the Service to collaborate with the NCCE to educate the youth, religious groups, and corporate institutions to donate blood to save lives.
Chief Executive Officer of the National Blood Service, Dr. Justina Ansah, said though national voluntary blood donation rate has declined, the Service is strategizing on digital technology to expand the reach to the public in order to increase availability of safe blood for transfusion.
She lauded the Rotary Club of Accra for collaborating with the National Blood Service to champion the cause of blood donation campaigns at various Senior High Schools.
Some voluntary donors were awarded by the Service for their continuous support.
GTV and the Ghana Journalists Association, GJA were awarded for their special contribution and coverage to blood donation campaigns and exercises.