Voluntarily blood donation key to improving and saving lives – NIC Commissioner
Stakeholders in the insurance industry have been urged to partake in the exercise
As part of efforts to support the National Blood Bank, the National Insurance Commission has reminded key players in Ghana’s industry about the importance of blood donation.
Read full articleCommissioner of the Insurance, Dr. Justice Yaw Ofori, said the exercise which must be done voluntarily, will go a long way to improve and save lives of those in need of blood.
Speaking at the launch of this year's blood donation campaign on August 9, the NIC boss said, “Blood is the fluid that runs through our body and if we lose excess of it, we may die. But thank God we have blood transfusion which through blood can be donated which then becomes the only medium to save lives.”
He pointed out that available data on blood donation shows that persons between the ages of 17 to 66, who weigh less than 50 kilos, can donate blood if it is established that they are healthy.
However, the guest speaker of the event, Dr. Emmanuel Srofenyo who is the Director of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, noted that a nation with adequate blood supply and blood product will serve as insurance for the sick.
He also stated that recent statistics show that Ghana has been able to mobilize about 169,000 packs of donated blood which is just a little over half of the national requirement.
It is for this reason Dr. Srofenyo is calling on every citizen of Ghana to donate blood and help save lives.
Meanwhile, Ghana’s insurance industry was, in 2021, awarded by the National Blood Service for donating the highest number of blood by an organisation for the period.
This year’s blood donation campaign saw the participation of key players in the insurance industry. They include; Ghana Insurers Association (GIA); Insurance Brokers Association of Ghana (IBAG); Chartered Insurance Institute of Ghana (CIIG) and ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Secretariat.
Other were; Ghana Insurance College (GIC) and the West African Insurance Companies Association (WAICA).
In accordance with the exercise, June 14 is often observed as World Blood Donation Day. Ghana’s insurance industry has also set aside the month of August for the blood donation campaign across the country.
MA/WA
