Accra, June 15, GNA- The Convention People’s Party (CPP) has marked World Blood Donor Day with a blood donation exercise at the Party’s Headquarters in Accra.
The exercise is part of the Party’s social responsibility of ensuring the welfare of the citizens.
Madam Akosua Frimpomaa Sarpong Kumankoma, Leader and Chairperson of CPP, speaking to the media at the event, said CPP had one core agenda, which was the welfare of people.
She said they were working with the National Blood Bank at Korle-Bu to make blood available for patients in the hospital and other health facilities across the country.
Madam Kumankoma said individuals who donated blood to the blood service were doing an act that could save themselves and the lives of many people in the country and said their exercise offered donors the opportunity to benefit from free medical screening on many potential sicknesses such as gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV and AIDS, diabetes and others.
Mr Eddie Barnor, National Organiser of the National Blood Donors Association ( NABDAG), expressed gratitude to the CPP for the foresight.
He said various hospitals in the country were short of blood due to the Covid-19 pandemic and that people were no longer willing to donate.
Mr Barnor dispelled rumours that blood was being sold at health facilities and said the only money patients paid for blood transfusion was for processing fee.
He explained that processing fees were meant for thorough checks on all blood for sickness and impurities to ensure safety.
Mr Barnor stated that he had donated blood about 86 times and that other corporate organisations should emulate the CPP’s gesture to help make blood adequate in the country’s blood bank.
Madam Linda Agana, Technical Assistant of the National Blood Service, said safety measures were in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic and said it was safe for individuals to donate blood.
She said though the Government absorbed the cost of blood for patients, the Service still bought things to process blood for use, hence the GHC150 as a processing fee, adding, “government does not take all the cost.”
World Blood Donor Day takes place on 14 June each year to raise global awareness on the need for safe blood and blood products for transfusion and the critical contribution voluntary, unpaid blood donors make to national health systems.
The Day also provides an opportunity to call to action to governments and national health authorities to provide adequate resources and put into place, systems and infrastructures to increase the collection of blood from voluntary non-remunerated blood donors.
