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MTN Ghana, in collaboration with students from three Senior High Schools in the Kumasi Metropolis, on Valentine Day embarked on a blood donation exercise in support of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) Blood Bank.
Mr. Nii Adotey Mingle, General Manager in charge of Northern Sector, explained that MTN prioritises the health needs of Ghanaians and, therefore, uses the blood donation exercise to encourage people, including its customers, to donate blood to restock the blood transfusion units of the various Blood Banks across Ghana to enable them attend to emergency cases that were brought to the hospitals.
“This is one of the best gifts you can give any human being. If someone in need receives blood early and recovers, then we have done something meaningful” he stated.
He disclosed that MTN was targeting 7,000 pints of blood for the Medicine and Transfusion Units in the 16 regions of Ghana and stated confidently that they will exceed it. Every year when we set a target, we exceed it and I pray that 2026 will be enormous than all the previous ones we have done over the past 15 years.
Dr Lesley Osei, Head of Transfusion Medicine Unit at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) says they were targeting about 750 students to voluntarily donate blood in Kumasi.
She adjudged the MTN as highest corporate donor of blood to the Transfusion Unit, and urged other corporate organizations to emulate.
“The Transfusion Unit needed blood to sustain its operations and to enable the hospital attend to emergencies and other services that require the transfusion of blood.
The Unit was able to restock blood at seasons when schools, especially Senior High Schools, were in session” she said.
According to her only healthy persons were allowed to donate blood after proper screening, and commended MTN for sustaining the exercise since 2011, and also lauded the three schools that agreed to allow their students to voluntarily donate blood.
In an interview with Ghanatodayonline.com Dr Lesley Osei stated that blood cannot be manufactured or bought, making regular voluntary donations critical.
‘Our goal is to ensure blood is always at KATH, so we do not have to make urgent appeals during accidents. Our daily requirement is 80 pints, even 600 units lasts only about two weeks so we need more donors’ she stated.
The schools, whose students participated in the blood donation to the Komfo Anokye Medicine and Transfusion Unit, were Kumasi Anglican Senior High School (KASS), Jachie Pramso Senior High School (JAPASS) and Barekese Senior High School.
The exercise, dubbed “Save A life” blood donation, formed part of an annual activities drawn up by MTN Ghana to observe Valentine Day.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
