Agona Swedru, July 6, GNA - Dr Dzifa Dzemanya, Medical Superintendent of the Agona Swedru Government Hospital has said that the health institution is without a Blood Bank fridge.

He said Laboratory Technicians at the hospital use a household fridge to preserve blood for a short period.

Dr Dzemanya stated that the hospital collected blood from the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital but could store enough and appealed to the Ghana Health Services for the provision of the proper equipment for the Blood Bank.

He was speaking when members of the "Good Friends" Association, a Community Based Organisation (CBO) at Swedru donated 120 pints of blood to the Hospital.

The Medical Superintendent explained that the fridge got burnt about four years ago when it was glutted in a fire out break. He stressed the importance of blood especially during emergency, accident and anaemia cases to save lives.

Dr Dzemanya appealed groups, organisations and individuals to donate blood to the hospital regularly as a civic duty. The Medical Superintendent assured the people that their identities would be protected if they were found to be HIV/AIDS positive, which would expose them to public ridicule.

Mr Enoch Ekow Awomanyi, President of the Association, said the members saw the need donate blood when one of them was rushed to the hospital and was promptly given a blood transfusion. He said the donation was not going to be nine-day wonder but a permanent feature and urged other groups to remember that "World Blood Day" was observed on June 14, every year.

Mr Stephen Afrifa, Founder of the Association stated that one of the objectives of the group was to educate the people especially the youth on the dangers of HIV/AIDS and other health issues.

He said the Association had established a career-counselling centre to assist both members and non-members to advise them especially students to plan their future occupation.

Mr Afrifa said the Association had plans to construct a Social Centre estimated at 1.2 billion cedis to encourage the youth to stay away from social vices.