The National Ambulance Service, in partnership with the National Blood Service, is set to organize a blood donation event in support of the National Blood Bank.
The exercise is scheduled for Thursday, June 13, 2024, at the National Ambulance Service Headquarters in Accra.
Speaking in an interview, the Deputy Director of Welfare for the Service, Mrs Hellen Gasu emphasized the importance of participation in the event.
She encouraged all stakeholders to take part in the donation.
“We will encourage all stakeholders to take part in this donation, blood cannot be manufactured it can only be donated, so let’s help” she said.
Additionally, Mr. Edward Bannor, Chairman of the National Blood Donors Association, noted that donating blood offers health benefits to the donor, such as lowering the body’s iron levels, thus reducing the risk of heart attack and cancer.
“Donating blood lowers the number of irons in the body, providing more room for the blood vessels to operate, it reduces the risk of heart attack and cancer,” he stated.
The initiative is particularly crucial as Ghana faced a shortage of over 111,000 units of blood in 2020, which accounted for more than 39.7 per cent of national demand.
This scarcity resulted in the loss of thousands of lives due to the unavailability of blood for transfusions.
The national blood supply system in Ghana heavily relies on replacement donations from family and friends of patients in need of blood transfusions.
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