The Koforidua Regional Hospital has appealed for increased public support by way of blood donation to shore up its stock to save lives.

Dr. Cardinal Newton, Clinical Director of the facility, said it was important for all – individuals, religious and social groups to accept to voluntarily give blood on regular basis.

They should not wait until they found their relatives and love ones in emergency situations, he added.

He made the call at a blood donation campaign organized by the hospital as part of activities marking 90 years of its establishment.

Health workers from across the Eastern Region were joined by some individuals including journalists and the staff of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to donate blood.

Dr. Newton said “it sometimes become stressful” going round, looking for people to donate blood to save the lives of patients, adding that, this needed to change.

He noted that the nation had the capacity to nurture large number of regular voluntary donors to make sure that there was sufficient blood at the facilities at all times, something that would make it unnecessary to ask people to replace whatever was transfused to their sick relatives.

In excess of 100 pints of blood was donated to the hospital.