Corporate Services Executive of MTN Ghana, Samuel Koranteng, donates blood at one of its annual Save a Life event
MTN Ghana Foundation has commended efforts by the National Blood Service, the Ghana Blood Foundation, all blood banks as well as voluntary blood donors for the commitment towards saving lives.
According to the company, blood is an important resource for both planned and emergency medical conditions. However, despite the urgent need for blood, records indicate general scarcity of safe blood in blood banks across Ghana.
Data from the National Blood Services suggest that there is a national demand for about 280,000 units annually. However, less than 50 per cent is raised each year.
Commemoration
A release from MTN Ghana, as the world commemorated World Blood Donor Day over the weekend, indicated that the data from the blood managers had influenced the decision of MTN Ghana Foundation to, over the years, organise annual blood donation campaign, dubbed “Save a Life”, to support efforts in restocking blood banks across the country and to help create awareness on the need for safe blood.
Commenting on the celebration, the Corporate Services Executive of MTN Ghana, Samuel Koranteng, said, “As we celebrate World Blood Donor Day, I would like to salute all individuals who have donated blood to save lives. We say special thanks to those who have participated in MTN’s Valentine Day’s “Save a Life” initiative. We commend them highly for the commitment to this cause and for their compassion for humanity.”
“I also take the opportunity to appeal to all eligible blood donors to donate blood at regular intervals to save lives. In this era of COVID-19, voluntary blood donation is very critical as all planned blood donation campaigns have been disrupted,” he added.
Save a Life
The MTN Ghana Foundation has been at the forefront of blood donation for over a decade, with the lead telcos operator through its MTN Ghana Foundation regularly initiating the annual blood donation exercise dubbed “Save a Life” initiative in 2011 to help restock blood levels at the National blood bank.
Since the launch of the initiative, the MTN Ghana Foundation, along with staff of MTN and their friends and partners, have collected over 20,036 units of blood to save lives.
This year’s blood donation exercise had a total of 24 donation/bleeding centres in all 16 regions of Ghana. The Foundation also commenced the construction of a GHS 300,000 blood bank for the maternity wing of the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital.
The blood bank is expected to be completed by end of October 2020.
