World Blood Donor Day, observed annually on June 14th, is a global initiative established by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise awareness about the need for safe blood and blood products, and to thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts. The day highlights the importance of regular blood donation and its impact on the health and well-being of others. This year’s theme, “Give Blood, give Hope: together we save lives.
In Ghana, 179, 765 blood donations were collected in 2022, with 45, 463 being voluntary donations. The Chief Executive Officer of the National Blood Service Ghana, Dr. Shirley Owusu Ofori, indicated the benefits of giving out blood, debunking some misconceptions about blood donation.
“There some that say that, if you give blood, you will be giving off your behavior. If somebody is a chatterbox or a liar, you begin to wear that trait. None of these are true, if you give blood, you should expect that you experience a small pinch of pain in your arm. Roughly, the misconception is people thinking their blood unit is used for spiritual ritual among others. This is not so, there should be no reason for the public to panic. We are very much accountable as a blood service and we would not engage in any such thing,” she explained.
Every year countries around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day. A blood service that gives patients access to safe blood and blood products in sufficient quantity is a key component of an effective health system. The global theme of World Blood Donor Day changes each year in recognition of the selfless individuals who donate their blood for people unknown to them. On the streets of Accra, some Ghanaians share their experiences with donating blood.
“Back at school, I was educated about blood donation. I was donating blood when I was in school. Personally, it is not a bad thing to donate your blood. This process helps to save lives. There is a need for public education, the misconception that the blood is being used for spiritual purposes is mainly about their little knowledge about this exercise. Although people have varied opinions about blood donation, I recently donated some units of blood for my Uncle and it saved him,” they shared.
The blood collection index per 1000 population increased from 5.7 in 2021 to 5.8 in 2022. Yet, this is still below the WHO recommended minimum collection of 10 units per 1,000 population required to meet basic transfusion needs. Dr. Shirley, called on Ghanaians to donate blood to help save lives, urging people to help reach the blood collection index.
“An individual can choose to defer when he has read through the information and finds on the day of donation that he doesn’t qualify. If he is unable, or harboring some illness or by giving blood he may compromise the recipient. As part of the World Health Organization’s support and dedication for blood donation, it is urged that every country has one population giving blood. With Ghana’s population of 33 million people, we would expect that we will have 330,000 voluntary donors giving blood to us. So it is expected that as we celebrate World Blood Donor Day today, you out day will help us reach that blood index,” she added.
As the world celebrates blood donors across the world, be sure to donate a unit of your blood to help save a life.
Andy Oppong Dankyi, ABC News Gh
