Doctors, nurses and other staff of the Koforidua Regional Hospital have donated blood to the Blood Bank to supplement the blood bank stock levels of the region.   

Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr Arko Akoto-Amppaw who led the staff in the blood donation exercise, said as a result of Covid-19, the blood stock levels had depleted, as schools which have in the past donated blood frequently have been closed down by government.    

He said the staff, therefore, decided to organise the blood donation exercise to demonstrate the safety of donating blood to the public in order to encourage voluntarily donation.   

He said every blood donated was screened and the results made available to the donors upon request. This will enable those with health challenges seek the necessary medical attention.   

Dr Akoto-Amppaw, therefore, invited the public to participate in the hospital’s blood donation campaign to be held at the Old Estate in Koforidua on September 21, 2020.   

Ms Philomina Quayson, Blood Organiser for the hospital, said the facility was the only one in the country where parents were not required to replace blood given to their children on admission.

She explained that although the hospital did not sell blood, patients requiring blood transfusion were asked to pay part of the cost of processing the blood that would be donated as a replacement.   

Ms Quayson indicated that the hospital had spent Gh₵ 200,000.00 on the processing of blood this year alone, and appealed to religious organisations, social groups, and Organised Labour to join the blood donation campaign on September 21 to help save lives.