Melcom Care Foundation in collaboration with the National Blood Service (NBS) yesterday launched this year’s blood donation exercise to restock the national blood bank.
The exercise, which took place simultaneously at over 25 venues across all regions of the country, and up from the previous 22, coincided with the first anniversary of the passing of the Melcom Group Chairman, Mr Bhabwan Ramchand Khubchandani.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Group Director of Communications, Melcom Group of Companies, Mr Godwin Avenorgbo, said the management of Melcom had dedicated this and other Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives in 2022 to the memory of the Former Chairman.
He said Mr Khubchandani loved donating blood to help save lives.
Mr Avenorgbo appealed to well-meaning Ghanaians and foreign residents to visit the nearest Melcom shops to donate a pint of blood to save the lives of those urgently in need, especially victims of the Appiatse explosion incident.
He said the company would support the award schemes of the Ghana Journalists Association and the Institute of Financial and Economic Journalists.
Mr Avenorgbo noted that Mr Khubchandani showed keen interest and supported girl child education and as such, the Melcom Care Foundation would, this year, support Touching the Lives of Girls Foundation, an NGO, in their menstrual hygiene education outreach programmes.
Blood Programmes Officer of the Southern Zonal Blood Centre of the National Blood Service, Mr Stephen Danso, said his organisation was mandated to ensure the timely provision of safe blood products to people in need of blood transfusion.
Those requiring blood, he said, include pregnant mothers, cancer patients and accident victims.
He noted that the service had been hit with serious shortage of blood since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying lockdown
He, therefore, appealed to faith-based organisations, corporate bodies, schools and institutions to help revive blood donation exercises to restock the blood bank.
Persons aged between 17 and 60 years who are medically fit can donate a pint of blood thrice in a year. Every country requires that at least one per cent of its population donate blood annually to save lives.
FROM GODFRED BLAY GIBBAH, TEMA
