Accra, Ghana//-MTN Ghana Foundation is optimistic of collecting a total of 4,000 units of blood in its ‘Save a Life’ blood donation exercises held in the morning of today across 16 locations in the country.
The Manager In-charge of Sustainability and Social Impact at the MTN Ghana Foundation, Mrs Rhoderlyn Entsua-Mensah said this at one of the blood donation centres held at the company’s headquarters in Accra.
This year’s blood donation exercises which took place across all the 16 regions simultaneously on Tuesday, 14 February 2023 were held between 8am- 4pm.
Since the inception of the initiative in 2011, over 20,000 units of blood have been collected, Mrs Entsua-Mensah revealed at a short ceremony before the start of this year’s Valentine’s Day blood donation exercises.
She urged people to go out in their numbers to all the bleeding centres in the various regions to express their love on Valentine’s Day by donating a unit of blood to help save a life.
“According to the National Blood Transfusion Service, about 36% of the national blood supply is from voluntary donations and this is not encouraging.
We entreat our staff, stakeholders, and the entire public to help stock the blood banks especially after the end of year festivities and most especially post pandemic effects of reduction in voluntary blood donation”.
By running this annual blood donation exercise, it is the MTN Ghana Foundation’s desire to help alleviate the high numbers of maternal mortality cases since loss of blood is one of the leading causes of maternal deaths in the country, according to her.
While commending MTN Ghana Foundation for the annual blood donation exercise, the Chief Executive Officer of National Blood Service of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Shirley Owusu Ofori, added that the blood donated are used to save accident victims, pregnant women, children, among others.
Instructively, the “Save A Life” project has earned the MTN Ghana Foundation some recognition including the “Highest Corporate Blood Donor” in 2013, the “Second Highest Corporate Donor” in 2014 and one of the Highest Corporate Donors” in 2015.
