Journalists and students donate blood to mark Valentine

Some journalists in the Tamale metropolis and enthusiastic students of the Institute of Management Studies and Tamale Institute of Business Studies on Thursday donated blood to the Tamale Teaching Hospital blood bank as a sign of love to humanity.

Murtala Issah, a reporter of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) who was among the donors. indicated that he was motivated by love, especially on Valentine’s Day, and said “the best way to show love is to save another’s life through blood donation”.

He said he had been donating blood since 2009 on every Valentine’s Day and encouraged the youth to cultivate the spirit of sacrifice and giving to sustain society.

Paul Achonga Kwode of GNA who also donated blood said he did so in benevolent love to society.

He urged the general public to nurture the spirit of dying for their fellow humans.

"Some time ago, a colleague fell sick and needed blood but there was none at the hospital… if people had donated there would have been blood," he said.

The Tamale Teaching Hospital in collaboration with Nu Image Communications organized the free blood donation with the support of Radio Savannah and Zaa FM on the theme “Show your true love, donate blood”.

Mr. Salifu Baba Imoro, a 53-year-old man who together with his two children also donated blood, said that was his 35th time to donate blood to help save the lives of others. "I do so voluntarily to keep people healthy," he said.

Mr. Baloo Edgard, a staff nurse of the Tamale Teaching Hospital who supervised the exercise told the GNA that but for the donation the blood bank of the hospital would have been totally depleted.

He said the donated blood would be screened to ensure it was without HIV, hepatitis B and C or syphilis after which it would be stored for use.

The staff-nurse mentioned pregnant women, children under five and accident victims as the people who receive blood transfusion most and commended the donors for their sacrifice.