Management of the Eastern Regional Hospital Blood Bank is calling on residents in the Eastern Region to as a matter of urgency assist the blood bank by donating blood.
According to management, the blood bank which provides essential services for various units within the hospital is currently not running at capacity because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The National Blood Service in April 2020 resorted to supplying blood to only health facilities with emergency cases because its blood collection had reduced drastically.
In an interview with Citi News on the sidelines of an emergency blood donation exercise by the staff of the Central Hospital, the blood donor Organizer of the hospital, Philomina Quayson called on residents including churches and other corporate bodies to assist the blood bank to save lives.
“We get about 70 to 80 percent of our blood collection from the schools and now they are on vacation. So we are inviting the general public to come in and help us save lives. As of now, we don’t have anything in stock, our blood bank is empty. So we took it upon ourselves as staff to help save lives.”
The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Tamale Teaching Hospital, among several others, have also decried a shortage of blood due to the pandemic.
