Ghana marked its 24th National Blood Donor Day Tuesday, November 26, 2024, with a call on the citizens to com­mit to voluntary unpaid blood do­nation in order to help the country achieve the 100 per cent voluntary blood donation status as required by the World Health Organisation (W.H.O).

According to the Minister of Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, despite various interventions made by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the National Blood Service (NBS), only 30-40 percent of blood dona­tion came from voluntary unpaid blood donors last year, with the remaining 60-70 per cent coming from family replacement donors.

This, he said, made the country stand at a risk of failing to achieve the 100 per cent voluntary blood donation status, hence, the need to encourage the citizenry to donate blood voluntarily.

Dr. Okoe Boye mentioned this in a speech read on his behalf by Chief Pharmacist of the MoH, Dr. (Mrs) Joycely Naa Korkoi Azeez, at the 24th National Blood Donation celebration and the launch of the 2025 Blood Programme held at the forecourt of the Accra Metropoli­tan Assembly in Accra on Monday, November 25, 2024.

Organised by the National Blood Service (NBS), the event was under the theme, ‘24 years of celebrating giving in Ghana-with the slogan Thank you, Donors’.

Despite the challenges faced, Dr. Okoe Boye said he was impressed with the efforts made by the NBS in the promotion of blood donation awareness and educa­tion, which had led to an increase in blood donation from unpaid voluntary donors.

For her part, the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, Mrs Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, in a speech read on her behalf by the Presidential Advisor on Media and Strategic Communication, Mrs Oboshie Sai Coffie, noted that the lack of safe blood impacted severely on mortality in Sub-Saha­ran Africa.

Making reference to a W.H.O African Region status report, Mrs Osei-Opare indicated that an esti­mated number of 803 women die every day worldwide from compli­cations related to pregnancy and childbirth, with nearly two-thirds of those maternal deaths occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa.

To augment blood distribution efforts, the government, she said, had introduced the Fly Zipline Drone Services to enable blood and other medicines to be deliv­ered to remote areas within short periods.

Various awards were presented to individuals and schools that had voluntarily donated blood to the NBS on a regular basis to help save human lives.

Mr Samuel Akomaning was awarded the National Best Blood Donor for donating 67 units of blood, while Mr Maxwell Yaw Anochie and Mr Yaw Atta, placed 2nd and 3rd, for donating 65 and 62 units of blood, respectively.

Other awardees were Mr Mo­hammed Appah (Greater Accra Regional Best Blood Donor, 60 units of blood) Mr Robert Gye­du-Amachie (2nd Greater Accra Regional Best Blood Donor, 58 units of blood), and Mr Abakuri Bayage (3rd Greater Accra Region­al Best Blood Donor, 49 units of blood).

The rest were Christiana Ghan­ney (Best Female Blood Donor, 37 units of blood), Mr William Nii Lante Lamptey (Best Youth Blood Donor, 33 units of blood).

At the school level, Prempeh College (Best National Blood Do­nating School, Second Cycle), Ac­cra Academy (2nd National Blood Donating School, Second Cycle), Odorgonno SHS (3rd National Blood Donating School, Second Cycle School).

Also at the tertiary level, Medical Lab Students, Accra Technical University (Best National Blood Donating School), Jean Nelson Hall, University of Ghana (UG) (2nd National Blood Donating School), and the Akwafo Hall, UG (3rd National Blood Donating School).