Management of Eastern Regional Hospital in Koforidua (ERHK) has stated that the Hospital has virtually run out of pints of blood at the blood bank posing danger to pregnant women and accident victims in particular.
As of Friday, October 16, 2020, the Hospital had only Seven pints of blood at the blood bank donated by the Medical Director of the hospital Dr. Akoto Ampaw, and staff to save the situation.
“It was so critical .We weren’t having at all. So by Department by Department, we started donating and I can say on record that I donated a pint of blood not too long ago in the campaign.” Dr. Akoto Ampaw made this known in an encounter with the media to ostensibly account to the public.
The Medical Director attributed the acute shortage of blood at the hospital to the Coronavirus pandemic which led to the closure of educational institutions particularly Second Cycle Schools. He said SHS students are major blood donors at the hospital hence the distressing situation.
Mybrytfmonline.com was published during the heat of the Coronavirus Pandemic, an imminent blood shortage in Ghana due to the pandemic.
The National Blood Service -Ghana, lamented that blood donation seized across the country during the Covid -19 pandemic.
It, therefore, encouraged Ghanaians to voluntarily visit any blood bank to donate blood regardless of coronavirus pandemic to avert a crisis.
Ghana has still not been able to achieve the 100 percent voluntary blood donation status as required by the World Health Organisation (WHO) albeit increasing demand for blood transfusion.
Statistics from the WHO indicate that only 62 countries globally almost meet 100 percent of their national blood supplies from voluntary unpaid blood donations, with thirty-four others still dependent on family replacement blood donors.
Ms. Tina Mensah, the Deputy Minister of Health has said there was a need for Ghana to do away with the family replacement system of blood donation and facilitate efforts to attain the 100 percent voluntary blood donation target set by the WHO to be achieved by the end of 2020.
The government, through the Ministry of Health, has however dragged its feet in facilitating the passage of the National Blood Service Bill, which seeks to provide the requisite legal framework to accelerate progress towards 100 percent voluntary blood donation.
Source: Mybrytfmonline/Obed Ansah
