The Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Blood Bank is facing an acute shortage of blood. Even though, it requires about 100,000 units of blood annually, it gets only 300 units, leaving a shortfall of 99,700, Mr. Samuel Nunoo, Deputy Chief Blood Donor Organiser, has revealed.

The shortage, he said, had affected the work of the bank as patients were required t o donate blood before being operated on. The entire nation needs about 250,000 units of blood. Mr. Nunoo, disclosed this to the Times newspaper at a blood donation exercise, organized by the Young Christian Workers Movement (YCWM) of the Christ the King Catholic Parish in Accra yesterday.

The exercise was part of the YCWM leukemia project to help stock the Korle-Bu blood bank and to increase public awareness of the leukemia disease. He stressed the need for people to donate blood to replenish the blood bank and save lives during emergency cases, noting that a number of hospitals depend on Korle-Bu for blood. Mr. Nunoo said the bank’s main source of supply was the senior high schools but when students go on vacation, the blood bank finds it very difficult to improve its stock. “We rely on churches, workers and benevolent people to help by donating to the blood bank,” he added.

He said blood collected from individuals is screened for syphilis, HIV, hepatitis B and C before it is transfused to patients. Mr. Nunoo appealed to the public to consider blood donation as part of the social responsibility to the needy. “The public should not fear donating blood: one can donate blood every four months without any problem,” he added.

Mr. Robert Atsu Dorgbadzi, president of YCWM, said there is the need to stock the blood banks to help in emergency cases such as accidents and during surgeries. YCWM has a membership of 70 with the aim of promoting the spiritual, physical and social development of the youth in the parish.