Head of Transfusion Medicine at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital is encouraging Ghanaians to voluntarily donate blood to restock banks for emergencies.

Dr. Shirley Owusu-Ofori says blood cannot be substituted for patients who are in critical need.

Speaking at a blood donation campaign organized by the MTN Foundation in Kumasi, she dismissed claims only a particular gender or group of persons is certified to donate blood.

Dr. Owusu-Ofori revealed any healthy body aged between 16 and 60 certified through screening can donate blood.

“Once you are within the age of 16 to 60 years and feel on the day of donation, you can walk up to us. Males can give and females can give better. So it is not for particular gender or sex or anything of a sort. Anybody can give once you feel healthy on the day of donation”. Dr. Phyllis Shirley Owusu-Ofori explained.

She is encouraging Ghanaians to support efforts of the Transfusion Services to donate blood to restock the country’s blood banks.

 “If a patient in any condition requires blood, he requires blood and nothing else. No infusion or no drug can replace blood. And blood is gotten only for human needs so it requires the commitment of citizenry to donate and donate regularly. We need to stock our blood banks such that in the case of any emergency, the blood is available for critical condition”

Seven hundred pints of blood were collected on Friday and Saturday in three separate exercises in Kumasi, Tamale and Bolgatanga.

Similar campaigns were held in Takoradi, and Cape Coast as part of the   5th edition of the annual Valentine’s Day Blood Donation Campaign.

This year’s national target is 1,200 pints, though last year the programme mobilized 1,137 units of blood.

Meanwhile, Head of Technical at MTN Northern Sector, Charles Osei Akoto says the campaign is to show love to family and friends on Valentine’s Day.

“MTN always want to create endless opportunities for people. We look at this period being the month of love to organize this to collect blood who may need it. If we want to show love to your families and friends; then the best thing to donate is blood because it is going to give life to your brother. So that is the key motivation behind this exercise”