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Tamale, Ghana – A total of six hundred and three (603) people generously responded to MTN Ghana’s call for blood donation in Tamale in the Northern Region of Ghana on Saint Valentine’s Day.
This huge response may not be surprising at all to many people because of the wow effect MTN Ghana carries with it wherever it goes and whatever it gets involved in.
However, the February 14, 2018 humanitarian exercise in the Northern Region happens to be the largest response ever recorded by MTN Ghana since it started the Valentine’s Day Blood Donation exercise nearly 10 years ago.
The blood donation exercise was organised by MTN Ghana in collaboration with the Blood Bank Unit of the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
Across the country, the exercise which was on the theme: “Save a Life” was conducted at sixteen different locations including the Northern Regional Library and the Dungu campus of the University for Development Studies.
The annual event, which started as a staff initiative some 7years ago by MTN Ghana is gradually growing to become a nationally accepted culture.
Area Sales Manager of MTN Ghana in charge of the Upper West, Upper East and the Northern Regions, Kwesi Osei, underscored the importance of doing business in a healthy society, hence the telecom company’s desire to donate blood annually to support various health facilities across the country.
According to him, as a business, MTN Ghana targeted about 400 people to donate their blood but the response they got exceeded their expectation, which for him was an indication that gradually, people were beginning to realise the need to save lives with their blood.
Mr Osei thanked all the donors who were largely students, for coming out in their numbers to support what MTN Ghana believed in, and encouraged them to respond again next time their generosity was urgently required.
A staff of the Blood Bank of the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Alhaji Ziblim Adam, appealed to the general public to come and register at the hospital as voluntary donors.
He noted that, the demand for blood was very high in every hospital especially among children, pregnant women and accident victims. “Monthly, we may need about 300 to 400 pints of blood at the TTH and that’s why we encourage people to donate voluntarily” he said.
Alhaji Adam said there were many benefits associated with blood donation, saying “those who donate blood regularly have lower risk of cancer and heart attack, a reduction in calories, free medical analysis including checking the HBV, HCV, HIV and syphilis status of the donor as well as the feeling of personal satisfaction that as a donor, you’re saving a life”, he said.
Meanwhile the blood collected would be distributed to some District Hospitals and the remaining stocked at the blood bank of the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
By Savannahnews
