By Emelia B. Addae
Koforidua Nov. 04, GNA – The Ghana National Blood Service in collaboration with the Kwaaba Foundation have launched an inter-school blood donation campaign to encourage senior high school students across the country to make voluntary blood donations.
The campaign was launched in Koforidua during the 60th anniversary celebration of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools, where over 700 heads of senior high schools convened to examine secondary education in Ghana after more than three decades of existence.
Dr. Shirley Owusu Ofori, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Ghana’s National Blood Service, highlighted the crucial role second-cycle schools play in restocking blood banks, and stressed the need to inculcate in them the spirit of giving to save human lives.
“Our students do well in donating blood already, but it is still important to inculcate in them the spirit of giving to save lives,” she said, and called for appropriate rewards for their efforts.
She said Ghana was desperately in need of blood and the country had not been able to meet its blood needs, which was ideally one per cent of the Ghanaian population, or 300,000 units.
Acute blood loss kills children and mothers every day in delivery, she added, and that cancer patients, accident victims, sickle cell, leukaemia, and other patients required blood transfusions to survive.
Dr Ofori called on Headmasters and Headmistresses of various senior high schools to support the campaign to generate a buzz similar to other inter-school activities like inter-competition in sports, Maths and Science Quiz to get the students to donate more blood.
“So, whenever the Blood Service comes to your school for a blood donation exercise or your school visits a hospital to donate blood, please make sure they are using the Blood Donation Tracker App for your school’s effort to be recognised and rewarded,” she said.
Maame Kwaaba Stephens, founder of the Kwaaba Foundation and Brand Ambassador for the National Blood Service in Ghana, urged the media to promote the inter-school blood donation campaign.
She stated that if the media did not cover it, the public would not be aware of it, adding, “The media sets the agenda and will help generate awareness about this campaign. Donating blood is an act of solidarity; blood connects us all.
“The second cycle schools give the most blood, to the extent that when the schools are on break the blood banks run dry,” she added.
She also said any person at age 17 and above could donate blood but would have to go through the National Blood Service screening process to make sure the prospective donor was fit, healthy, and had enough blood to give out.
“It is the excess blood that is not performing any function in you that we need,” she added.
Kwaaba Foundation focuses on health, socio-economic empowerment, and other community initiatives.
GNA