The Eastern Regional Office of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has organised a blood donation event at Manya Krobo Senior High School (SHS) in the Lower Manya Krobo municipality.
The one-day activity was to encourage students to donate blood and help replenish the blood bank as part of the FDA’s corporate responsibility in organising blood donation drives to help save lives.
Ms Anita Owusu Kuffuor, Eastern Regional Head of the FDA, said, “We chose Manya Krobo Senior High School because many people believe we are only concerned with Koforidua, the regional capital, and we want them to know that we are concerned with the entire Eastern region.”
She said the FDA would keep holding blood donation exercises to benefit the blood bank and pleaded with the public to participate in the exercise to save lives.
About 164 students were able to donate blood because of age and blood level restrictions, despite the team’s target of reaching out to 300 students to complete the process.
The Eastern Regional Blood Donor Organiser at the Regional Hospital, Ms Philomina Quayson, told the GNA that several students did not fulfil the 17-year-old age requirement, saying some of the students eager for the donation were as young as 13 or 14 years old.
She said the FDA had consistently performed well when it came to stocking the blood banks for the yearly blood donation drive.
She added: “Since we are unable to accomplish this on our own, we are extending an invitation to other cooperatives, including banks, churches, and other groups, to work with us in order to organise a blood donation exercise to save lives.”
She said that because of the lack of blood, “we lose expectant mothers, newborns, accident victims, and other issues,” remarking that giving blood to save a life at the age of 17 is a civic responsibility that everyone must participate in saving people’s lives.
She urged the public, including churches and other organisations, to visit any government hospital or healthcare centre to give blood.
Master Addae Alfons Anthony, one of the students who made the donation, told Ghana News Agency that he did so because he had heard that donors may use their cards to seek blood for family members in need.
Another student, Ms Mamidi Bettey Bawa, noted that blood donation was critical to saving lives.
“I was afraid to donate, but once I did, I realised it wasn’t terrifying; therefore, I’m encouraging everyone and my colleagues in other schools to donate to stock the blood bank, as it will greatly aid in saving lives,” she said.