There is shortage of blood to meet the requirements of hospitals in the country. The Korle-Bu Blood Bank, for instance, needs at least 200 units of processed blood daily to serve the increasing number of emergencies reported to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. The situation has compelled the hospital to request pre-deposits from relatives of patients before the patients receive transfusion. According to the Donor Services Manager of the National Blood Service, Dr Tetteh Carboo, there were only 82 available blood units, with only 20 processed, at the Blood bank of yesterday. He said due to the gap, commercial blood donors took money from desperate relatives of sick people in order to donate blood on behalf of the patients. That, Dr Carboo said, was not encouraging, because research had shown that blood given by such donors usually tested positive for HIV / AIDS or Hepatitis B. Speaking to the Daily Graphic at this year’s celebration of the World Blood Donor’s Day which was held on the theme, “More blood, more life,” Dr Carboo said the shortage had led to loss of many lives which were daily brought to the hospitals. He said in desperate situations, doctors were compelled to call voluntary donors who had records at the hospital for blood. “Sometimes we have to go to their houses, so that they can give us the blood we need during emergencies,” he said. For that reason, Dr Carboo said, the National Blood Service decided to inaugurate Club 25 to encourage young people to donate blood at least 25 times before they got old. He said the club would ensure that members lived safe and healthy lifestyles free from any transmittable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B and syphilis, leading to the collection of sufficient safe blood. The Minister of Health, Dr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, who inaugurated the club, congratulated voluntary blood donors on the role they played in saving lives. He also congratulated the National Blood Service on embarking on the Club 25 initiative to encourage the youth to donate voluntarily to the blood bank. Mr. Chireh urged the members of the club to adopt healthy lifestyles which would safeguard them from contracting transmittable infections. “Abiding by healthy lifestyles is a sure way of ensuring that you will continue to donate safe blood for the needy,” he told them. Source: Daily Graphic