Kumasi, June 19, GNA - About 0.5 per cent Africans donate blood annually as compared to about 90 per cent blood donors in Europe and America. In Ghana, about 50 per cent of all blood donations come from voluntary donors as against 50 per cent replacement or family donations. Mr Peter Boateng, Official of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Blood Bank, announced this during a lecture on blood donation to mark World Blood Donors' Day on Thursday in Kumasi. The Day falls on June 19 every year.

The celebration was instituted by World Health Organisation (WHO) Assembly in 2005, to honour blood donors for their invaluable contributions to save lives. It was under the theme "Give Blood Regularly to Help the National Blood Donation Programmes to Ensure a Reserve of Stable Voluntary Non-Remunerated Donors." Mr Boateng said many patients could die without voluntary blood donations and therefore urged every healthy person between 16 - 60 years to donate blood regularly.

He cited Uganda, Zimbabwe and Botswana as countries where voluntary blood donation had reduced HIV/AIDS and other blood borne pathogens among the youth.

Mr Boateng said at KATH Blood Transfusion Unit, a target of 65 per cent set by WHO was achieved in 2005, as compared to 35 per cent replacement or family donations.

He announced that WHO target by 2012 was 80 per cent and assured the public that KATH was working feverishly towards the goal and appealed to the public to donate voluntarily to achieve the goal. Some selected schools in Ashanti Region had a quiz competition on blood donation, storage, its components and current affairs. Kumasi Girls Senior High School emerged winners followed by Kumasi Academy, Osei Tutu Senior High School and Seventh Day Adventist Senior High School.

Hajia Rabiatu Abdul-Rahman, Principal Nursing Officer of KATH Blood Bank congratulated the students for their participation and presented DVD players to the schools as their prizes.