The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) in Upper West in partnership with the Regional Hospital are campaigning to re-stock blood banks in health centres after reports indicated that several patients died due to non-availability of blood.

The two state institutions therefore collaborated to carry out a blood donation exercise in Wa to replenish stocks in health facilities, particularly in the Regional hospital which served as the main referral point.

According to the NHIA significant number of people lost their lives in Ghana’s smallest region predominantly due to inadequate or non-availability of blood in health facilities hence the need for the exercise to salvage the situation.

“If you don’t do it, you never can’t tell when you or your father or mother or any of your relatives will be in need of blood,” Mr Samuel Lobber Lekamwe, the Regional NHIA Operations Manager told journalists.

He called on the public to ignore negative perceptions that donating blood could lead to negative effects and rather give off blood on regular basis to help save lives.

Madam Kangkpi Thea, the Upper West Regional Hospital Laboratory Manager, told the GNA that: “The current stock level of blood at the regional hospital is about 20 units which is woefully inadequate considering the regional hospital as a referral center for the Upper West Region”.

He said one major obstacle to the regional laboratory blood bank was because relatives of patients who received blood failed to replace the stock.

“We should have not less than 50 units of blood in the blood bank as a regional hospital,” Madam Thea estimated.

The exercise was organised in Wa Senior High School Assembly Hall where the public including; students and NHIA Staff from various districts donated several pints of blood to support the course.