Some accident victims in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region die because of unavailability of blood at hospitals and other health facilities in the region.

Though figures are not readily available, Head of Blood Mobilization at the Bolgatanga Hospital, Hajaratu Issah, says in some instances it is difficult for health personnel to get blood to match blood group of accident victims ; a situation which make some of them to lose their lives while seeking medical attention.

She is encouraging residents to voluntarily donate blood to address the persistent unavailability of the life-saving commodity, in some instances at acute levels across the region.

Madam Issah was speaking at a blood donation exercise organized by non-governmental organization, Save a Life Foundation-Ghana, in collaboration with the Bolgatanga Hospital, supported by MTN Foundation.

Nearly 230 units of blood were collected in Saturday’s exercise, as part of Valentine’s Day celebrations, aimed at showing love to people who may be in need of blood in the Upper East Region.

Madam Issah commended organizers for their continued effort to address the challenge in the   region.

Executive Director of Save a Life Foundation, Ibrahim Sadik, says the exercise has become an annual event since its inception six years ago.

 “We realized that at the Bolga Hospital, accident victims, pregnant mothers and children below 5 years were always going through so many problems when it came to getting blood transfusion, so for the past six years, we have committed a lot of time and resources to organize such exercises,” he stressed.

MTN’s Territory Sales Controller for Upper East Region, Richard Asamane, said in line with its dream of enriching the lives of Ghanaians, the company decided as part of its corporate social responsibility, to sponsor blood donation exercises across the country.

He also hailed the partnership with Save a Life Foundation.