In line with its Corporate Social responsibility activities, the National Insurance Commission in collaboration with the Insurance Industry, has donated 2,203 units of blood to help restock the National Blood Bank.

The blood was donated by staff of insurance companies regionally including head offices and NIC. Statistics shows that Kumasi donated 474 units followed by Cape Coast with 397 units whilst Tamale raked in 379 units to the blood bank.

Others include Insurance Companies’ Head Offices and NIC-180 units, Koforidua – 167 units, Accra-160 units, Sunyani 150 units, Takoradi-121 units, Wa-72 units, Ho-53 units and Bolga-50 units.

It was part of 2023 blood donation campaign by the insurance industry under the theme “Donate blood to save a life, as you do it for others, you do for yourself.”

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the year-long exercise, which started in September last year and ended in March 2024, at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital at Ridge in Accra. The acting Commissioner of Insurance, Mr Michael K. Andoh said blood was important commodity to save live, yet it could not be manufactured.

He said it was in that direction that the NIC and its partners in the insurance industry instituted the blood donation campaign to annually collect blood to restock the National Blood Bank.

The acting Commissioner of Insurance said the response by the insurance companies and organisations for this year’s exercise had been tremendous.

Mr Andoh said there was more than 180 units increase in the units of blood collected for the 2023 year, saying 2,015 units of blood was collected during the 2022 exercise while the figures shot up to 2,203 in 2023.

He appealed to individuals who were qualified to donate blood to voluntarily to do so to help replenish the National Blood Bank.

The outgone Medical Director of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Dr Emmanuel Srofenyoh said the National Blood Service estimated that about 300,000 units of blood was needed every year to meet the national blood need of the country, but the National Blood Service was unable to raise such quantity of blood.

He said some patients die because there was no blood to cater for them.

Dr Srofenyoh emphasized that the partnership between the NIC and the Greater Regional Hospital to collect blood for the National Blood Service was yielding positive results and commended the commended NIC and the insurance industry players for instituting the programme.

The Southern Zonal Blood Centre of the National Blood Service, Dr Dilys John-Teye said the sustainability of effective blood transfusion service hinged fully on voluntary non-remunerated blood donation.

She said blood supply needed to be constantly replenished due to the limited shelf of life of whole blood and blood components and commended NIC and its partners for the programme.

As part of the programme, the NIC donated about 40 boxes of caesarian section packs for the Greater Accra Regional hospital and also provided food packs for women in the labour ward of the hospital.

NIC Photo: Mr Andoh (right) presenting a caesarian section pack to Dr Srofenyoh.

Forty pieces of Caesarean Section Packs being handed over to the outgone CEO of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Dr Emmanuel Srofenyo by the Ag Commissioner of Insurance, Mr Michael Kofi Andoh while other dignitaries look on.