Ninety percent of critical and tragic medical cases admitted at the critical wards of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital require urgent blood transfusions from the blood bank.
The unprecedented demand levels of blood are putting a strain on the blood bank of Ghana’s key referral hospital, creating dire blood shortage as accidents and emergency cases surge.
The Transfusing Medicine Unit at KATH is entreating the public to eschew misconceptions and partake in safe blood donation exercises to support life-saving efforts.
Patients suffering from emergencies, including serious injuries from accidents and natural disasters, are often in need of blood transfusion.
The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital uses an average of 80 units of blood, equivalent to 80 people a day, and further supplies other health facilities, enforcing more pressure on its blood bank.
Principal blood donor manager at KATH Transfusion and Medicine Unit, Shadrack Afful Appiah, described the restocking of the blood bank as a necessity.
“The first point of call at KATH is the emergency unit. You are either taken to the orange, red or yellow ward depending on the urgency of the situation. Red and orange wards treat severely critical cases. And 90 per cent of such cases require blood. That’s the blood situation at KATH. And so, blood is an urgent and necessary commodity at the hospital which is also a referral hospital. It means cases that get to KATH are in their severest form,” he said.
He was speaking at a blood donation event organized at the Calvary Charismatic Centre in Kumasi in celebration of the 69th birthday of the Founder and Senior Pastor of CCC, Ransford Obeng.
The initiative launched by Pastor Ransford Obeng aims to rally church members and the public to donate blood to hospital blood banks in efforts to address the critical shortage at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
According to Pastor Ransford Obeng, the blood donation drive is the only way to use his influence to support lives at the hospital.
“The backbone of CCC has been the young people. And this is the way I can use my influence to inculcate a behavior that saves other people. The church is 40 years old, and all through the years have been people selfishly supporting and assisting,” he said.
Shadrack Afful Appiah lauded CCC and the voluntary blood donors, while encouraging the public to eschew myths on donation.
“We are glad that some organizations including CCC have made it a priority to stock our bank. It’s a very safe exercise which every well-meaning Ghanaian should take part in. nothing stops you,” he said.
Some donors also spoke about the benefits and enthusiasm to participate.
“I have been donating for eight years. I have been made to believe that this saves life, and that’s what Christianity is about; looking out for the vulnerable,” Becky said.
“It’s been 16 years since I started, and I feel it has always been necessary that I do it as a Christian just like Christ’s sacrifice for us,” Winston said.