The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, has called for more advocacy on safe blood donation across the country.

He said there was the need for stakeholders to support the Health Ministry in its blood donation promotion drive to achieve its objective of ensuring the availability of blood in health facilities across the country.

“Like the fight against illegal mining (galamsey), there must be a continuous public outcry on blood donation to meet our targets.

Collectively, we need to walk the talk when it comes to matters of blood availability and the ministry will lead this walk,” Mr Agyeman-Manu said.

The call was contained in a speech read on behalf of the minister at an event to commemorate this year’s World Blood Donor Day in Accra yesterday on the theme:

“We live because you give, give blood, give plasma, share life, share often.”

Blood Donor Day

The day was set aside by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to celebrate and appreciate voluntary blood donors for their contribution to stocking blood banks and by extension, saving lives.

The event is observed on June 14 across the globe every year.

Mr Agyeman-Manu congratulated all blood donors on their continuous support and said that the demand for blood was growing faster than its supply, thus, making safe blood or plasma more precious than ever.

He, therefore, urged the National Blood Service to come up with laudable initiatives that would encourage more people to voluntarily donate blood to save lives.

The minister also urged them to streamline their system to ensure conformity in standards in the collection, processing and distribution of blood products across the country.

He further called for the building of strong institutional partnerships and collaboration with relevant institutions for support in the discharge of their duties.

Significance

The Chief Executive Officer of the National Blood Service, Dr Shirley Owusu-Ofori, described the event as significant in mobilising support at the national, regional and global levels for the sustenance of their programmes.

She said it also highlighted the critical role of unpaid regular blood and plasma donors in ensuring access to safe blood and blood products for all people.

In partnership with Global Blood Bank, a UK-based organisation, the service launched a story contest for participants to share their experiences on blood donation or as recipients.

Registration for the contest, which started yesterday, ends on August 31, 2023.

Dr Owusu-Ofori encouraged interested individuals to check the website and social media handles of the service to participate in the contest.

In a speech read on his behalf, the WHO Representative to Ghana, Dr Francis Kasolo, said in spite of the significant progress made, blood services in some countries still faced challenges in getting sufficient blood and ensuring the quality and safety of blood.

He, therefore, urged governments to increase investment in the health sector to build sustainable and resilient blood systems, including the establishment of institutions and infrastructure to increase the collection of blood.

For her part, a senior specialist of radiation oncologist at the National Radiotherapy Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Centre (NRONMC), Dr Hannah Naa Gogwe Ayettey, stressed the need to demystify misconceptions about blood donations in the country.

SOURCE: GraphicOnline