3 bodies launch year-long blood donation campaign

 The National Blood Service (NBS), in part­nership with Zipline and Twellium Industrial Company, has launched a year-long nationwide blood donation campaign to boost the country’s blood stock.

The initiative, on the theme “Share Love, Donate Blood,” seeks to restock various blood banks, ensure timely access to safe blood, and raise awareness about the importance of voluntary blood donation.

It would primarily target sec­ond-cycle institutions across the country, where students will be mobilised and supported by Twel­lium to donate blood.

The NBS will oversee the collection, processing and storage of blood, while Zipline will use its drone delivery system to ensure life-saving blood to reach health facilities quickly, especially in hard-to-reach areas.

Speaking at the campaign launch in Accra on Thursday, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NBS, Dr Shirley Owusu-Ofori, said while the World Health Or­ganisation (WHO) recommends 100 per cent voluntary blood donation as the safest source of blood, Ghana still fell short of that benchmark.

“Currently, approximately six out of every 1000 population in­stead of the expected 10 per 1,000 give blood in this country, hence patients do not have blood readily available and some have to wait for prolonged periods to receive blood transfusion.

In most emergency situations, blood must be readily available for transfusion to avert untimely deaths,” she said.

Dr Owusu-Ofori said the cam­paign would complement national efforts to improve blood supply that is safe and based on voluntary, unpaid donations.

“Improved availability of blood and blood products at hospital blood banks reduces the stress families and friends go through to secure blood for patients,” she added.

She encouraged healthy individ­uals between the ages of 17 and 60, including first-time donors, to step forward and help increase the country’s blood stock.

“For those who donated long ago, this is a great opportunity to renew your commitment to save lives,” she urged.

The Country Director of Zipline, Daniel Merki, highlight­ed the role of drone delivery in improving healthcare access.

He noted for instance, that in the Ashanti Region, maternal deaths reduced by more than 56 per cent in clinics served by Zipline compared to those without access.

Mr Merki expressed hope that the campaign would help build “a country in which everybody has access to blood and, therefore, reduce unnecessary mortalities caused by lack of access to blood.”

A Marketing Assistant at Twel­lium Industrial Company, Emelia Gyasi, said the year-long campaign was expected to save about 10,000 lives.

“This one-year partnership will keep 10,000 families together, 10,000 reasons to act and restore hope, and 10,000 opportunities to prove that together, we can make a difference,” she said.

 BY ABIGAIL ANNOH

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