Koforidua, Oct 22, GNA – Ms Philomina Quayson, Blood Organizer for the Eastern Regional Hospital, has assured that adequate measures are in place for the safety of groups, organisations and individual voluntary blood donors from coronavirus during blood donation exercises.
She observed that voluntary blood donation exercises had gone down drastically, due to fear of contracting COVID-19 and noted that the transfusion of blood from one person to the other did not pose any health risk.
Ms Quayson, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Koforidua, said the situation had resulted in a severe shortage at the blood bank in the Hospital since its major blood sources such as schools, civil society and religious bodies were no longer donating blood.
She mentioned that, as at Thursday October 22, the Blood Bank had only 12 pints of blood, which did not meet the 30 pints of blood needed daily at the Regional hospital and called on Ghanaians aged between 17 and 60 to regularly donate blood to save lives.
Underlining the importance of blood donation which included; the reduction of cholesterol, prevention of cancers and kidney diseases, she urged the public not to be scared and entreated them to donate to save lives in critical moments of the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr Arko Akoto Ampaw, Medical Director of the Hospital, indicated that the situation had compelled staff including; medical doctors and nurses to donate blood to stock the blood bank as an emergency response and commended the staff highly for voluntarily, participating in the exercise.
He said although the response was positive, more blood was needed at the unit and appealed to the public to come out in their numbers and donate blood to supplement the blood stock level to save lives.
GNA