On Friday September 18, 2015, the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) will organise a blood donation exercise on the company’s premises to help stock various blood banks in the hospitals.
The company is, therefore, extending a hand of invitation to all interested persons to participate in this all important but purely humanitarian exercise which is part of its charitable service to the nation in support of improving blood supply at the country’s hospital blood banks.
Officials of the National Blood Service will be at the scene to collect blood, in line with efforts by the service to address the periodic shortage of blood at blood banks in the hospitals and to regenerate the spirit of volunteerism among the Ghanaian public.
The National Blood Service, Ghana, as part of strategies to increase blood collection, and to give people the opportunity to freely know their blood group, has set up blood donation clinics in various communities within Accra and its environs, for voluntary donors.
Blood donation exercise
Apart from these community clinics, the blood service also organises blood donation exercises with corporate organisations at a location of the choice of the organisation, to collect blood for health facilities and also provide an opportunity for staff of such organisations to know their blood group, and also get expert advice on how to live healthy lifestyles.
Donating blood is easy and the blood supply in the country’s blood banks relies exclusively on the generosity of volunteer blood donors. There is no substitute for human blood.
Much as there is joy in giving and donating blood in support of the exercise, there is the need to know the eligibility criteria and see if you can be a life saver too.
The reasons for not being eligible to donate blood may change at any time.
According to Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (India), a blood donor means a person who voluntarily donates blood after he has been declared fit after a medical examination to donate blood on fulfilling the criteria given hereinafter, without accepting in return any consideration in cash or kind from any source, but does not include a professional or a paid donor.
Volunteer donor
Though most people qualify as volunteer donors, even if they are taking medications, there may be reasons wherein one will be denied an opportunity to donate blood.
No person shall donate blood and no blood bank shall draw blood from a person:
• More than once in three months.
• The donor shall be in good health.
• Mentally alert and physically fit and shall not be inmates of jail, persons having multiple sex partners and drug-addicts.
The donor shall also fulfil the following requirements, namely ; the donor shall be in the age group of 18 to 60 years; shall not be less than 45 kilogrammes; temperature and pulse of the donor shall be normal; the systolic and diastolic blood pressures of the donor within normal limits without medication; haemoglobin which shall not be less than 12.5 grams; the donor shall be free from acute respiratory diseases; the donor shall be free from any disease transmissible by blood transfusion, insofar as can be determined by history and examination.
If you have any additional questions or concerns about donating blood, please rest assured that officials of the National Blood Service will be around to answer all the nagging questions relating to blood donation.
It could be a relation of yours, a friend or a loved one. Someone is in need of blood today it may be you tomorrow.
Search your heart and make that decision to donate towards a good cause.
