Mr John Tetteh, a member of the National Blood Transfusion Service says Ghana needs only two percent of its total population to donate blood to stock the blood banks of the various hospitals annually. Mr Tetteh appealed Ghanaians to try as much as possible to donate blood thrice a year; moreover, donating blood twice every year is recommendable, he said. In an interview with Joy FM’s Ultimate Health programme, on the topic: “Pregnancy related needs,” Mr. John Tetteh said lots of pregnancy complications are due to the fact that there is not enough blood for pregnant women who are in need of it. “Many Ghanaians have not understood the importance of blood donation,” he said, adding that the time has come for Ghanaians to understand the importance of blood donation in order to reduce maternal death. “Blood is life,” emphasised Mr John Tetteh. “Ones you collect blood from a person, the biochemical reaction still goes on till the cells in it die. When these cells die, the blood cannot be useful again. “So blood, when collected from a person, is supposed to be kept for only 35 days. If the blood is still available after 35 days it must be discard,” he noted.