Valentine’s Day: MTN resumes blood donation drive after two-year hiatus  

By Prince Acquah

Cape Coast, Feb 14, GNA – MTN Ghana Foundation, has organised a blood donation exercise in Cape Coast and Biriwa to stock the blood bank of the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH).  

The exercise was supported by staff of the hospital, targeting 150 students each from the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) at Biriwa and the Academy of Christ the King Senior High School in Cape Coast.  

The health intervention formed part of the telecommunication giant’s nationwide annual Valentine’s day ‘Save a Life Campaign,’ held since 2011 to support the country’s National Blood Service.  

The campaign was put on hold for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic but had returned this year with a target of about 4,000 units of blood nationwide.  

Tuesday’s exercise at the two schools was also an opportunity for the students to check their blood group and get screened for certain health conditions such as anaemia.  

Mr Prince Owusu Nyarko, Regional Senior Manager, Southwest Business sector, MTN Ghana, during the launch of the campaign said the exercise was driven by the company’s commitment to improve health care delivery in Ghana.  

He said the availability of safe blood was critical in health care delivery for which reason people must consider it a duty to voluntarily donate blood regularly.  

Citing the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) position on the exercise, he noted that voluntary non-remunerated blood donation was the surest approach to ensure a sufficient supply of safe blood to meet national requirement for blood transfusion.  

“Blood donors save lives every day through their benevolence. Every second around the world, there is a person who needs blood transfusion to survive. We must do this to save precious lives in this nation,” he appealed.  

Mr Nyarko averred that the blood donation exercise had so far yielded over 20,000 units of blood since 2011 out of which 6,036 units were yielded from the 2020 campaign alone.  

“We believe this exercise has resulted in a reduction in maternal mortality since the loss of blood is one of the leading causes of maternal deaths,” he added.  

He was hopeful that the ‘Save a Life Campaign’ would continue to provide a regular source of blood needed in health facilities across the country and appealed to the public to express their love on Valentine’s Day by donating a unit of blood to help save lives.  

“You may never know when the blood you give will become a gift of life to a trauma or road accident victim or a patient in critical condition,” he stated.  

Mr Bilson Darko, Senior Blood Donor Organiser, CCTH, underscored the importance of blood donation, stressing it was the highest gift to give to save lives.  

He further cautioned people needing blood to avoid third party agents who would secure the blood for them at a fee because “the blood here is not for sale”.  

GNA