Doctors, Nurses, Midwives and paediatricians at the Eastern Regional Hospital Koforidua (ERHK) have donated pints of blood to stock the blood bank which has run out of blood for a long period now.
The blood donation is part of a campaign initiated by the Management of the Hospital, dubbed; “A Pint of Blood to Save Lives.”.
Staff at the Obstetric & Gynaecology and the Paediatric Departments took their turn to donate pints of blood.
Management of the hospital is encouraging other Departments to take turns in this initiative.
The Eastern Regional Hospital, Koforidua (ERHK) continue to battle a shortage of blood affecting quality healthcare delivery.
The hospital started experiencing acute blood shortages at the blood bank in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
The situation has not seen any significant improvement to date forcing the staff of the hospital including the Medical Director Dr Arko Akoto Ampaw to continuously donate blood to save the lives of patients particularly pregnant women in labour and accident victims.
The hospital is inviting the general public to join the staff and donate blood to save lives.
The Eastern Regional blood organizer of the National Blood Service Philomina Quayson says, donating blood regularly lowers the risk of cancers, therefore, encouraging Ghanaians to donate.
She explained that by donating blood the iron stores in the body are maintained at a healthy level which helps reduces the chances of the donor from all forms of cancers
Ghana has failed to achieve 100 per cent voluntary blood donation status as required by the World Health Organization (WHO) albeit increasing demand for blood transfusion.
Statistics from the WHO indicate that only 62 countries globally have almost achieved 100 per cent of their national blood supplies from voluntary unpaid blood donations, with thirty-four others including Ghana still dependent on family replacement blood donors.
The government of Ghana’s delay in passing the National Blood Service Bill, which seeks to provide the requisite legal framework to accelerate progress towards 100 per cent voluntary blood donation, is compounding the situation in the country.
Source: Mybrytnewsroom.com/Obed Ansah
