NHIA donates blood to Eastern Regional Hospital’s Blood Bank

As part of efforts to help the National Blood Bank respond timely and efficiently to emergencies during the upcoming festive seasons, the management of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and the Eastern Regional Hospital are calling on the general public to change their perception of blood donation.

According to the two institutions, changing the narrative to encourage friends and families to voluntarily donate blood will not only replenish the stock of the blood banks in the country, but is also a guaranteed way of saving lives promptly during emergencies.

The festive season is fast approaching, and during this time, the number of movements on our roads, especially roads in the Eastern Region, increases, which also sometimes results in fatalities. To help the Eastern Regional Blood Bank cater adequately for these emergencies, hundreds of staff of the National Health Insurance Authority gathered at the regional office to voluntarily donate blood.

This exercise, according to the management of NHIA, is in line with the 20th-anniversary celebration of the authority.

Oswald Aswell Mensah, the Acting Director of Corporate Affairs who came from the head office to supervise the exercise in the Eastern Region, led by example as he donated a pint to support the worthy cause. Explaining the rationale behind the exercise, he indicated that the NHIA doesn’t only exist to give access to health care but to give back to society.

Other district and municipal managers who donated blood for the first time also shared their experiences and encouraged others to make it a routine.

According to the management of the Eastern Regional Hospital in Koforidua, even though blood stock at the blood bank is not too bad, there’s a need for voluntary donors to always come around to support the bank and aid them in responding timely to emergencies.

Philomena Quayson, the officer in charge of the blood bank, spoke to Citi News.

“Currently, we have some stocks at the bank following similar exercises with other groups in the last two months. But like Oliver Twist, we will ask for more because the festive season is fast approaching, and during these periods, we normally record emergencies from accidents. So, we will plead with civil society groups and voluntary donors to come on board and help us get enough to deal with all emergencies.”

The Eastern Regional Operations Director of the NHIA, Harry Thompson Baffour, who expressed satisfaction about the entire exercise, called on civil society and other government institutions to replicate the gesture to ensure blood banks in all hospitals do not run out of blood.

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