Ghana launches blood committee

The National Blood Committee (NBS) has launched Blood Foundation, Ghana to support vulnerable patients who are unable to pay for the cost of blood during emergency situations.

The aim for establishing the foundation is to provide support towards the quest of attaining 100 per cent of the country’s blood collections from voluntary non remunerated blood donors and to support the processing fees of patients especially the vulnerable in the society requiring blood transfusion therapy as part of their clinical management.

Reverend Paa Ekow Quaye, Chairman of the foundation said the body was established to mobilise financial resources to help reach the target of getting blood all over the country.

He said if the National Blood Service (NBS) does not reach the target goal of 100 per cent blood through voluntary donors then the country is at risk and blood would not be available when needed hence the need for all to join hands and support the foundation to make blood accessibility easy.

He said the processing fee for a blood given to a patient is GH? 35.00 and this contributes to households incurring catastrophic expenditure which pushes families into poverty.

Rev said this is a situation the NBS and foundation hopes to achieve by turning events around to encourage voluntary blood donation through advance transfusion service to make blood available to all.

He called on corporate institutions, stakeholders and individuals to support the foundation through cash and in kind to resource the facility to enable it deliver as promised.

Dr Justina K.Ansah, Director National Blood Service, Ghana said much education and awareness programmes are ongoing to ensure that people understand the need to donate at a frequent rate to save lives.

Mr Ken Ashigbey, Managing Director of Graphic Communications Group Limited, pledged the groups support by providing GH? 60,000.00 worth of advertisement that would run in the Daily Graphic to push for support for success.

Institutions are urged to forward their donations to the foundation’s account number 1131130014850 at Ghana Commercial Bank to aid in its activities to reach the target.