Speaking to the media, Dr. Shirley Owusu-Ofori, Chief Executive Director at the National Blood Service in a speech, said that the MTN Save a Life Project, proudly occasioned by the MTN Ghana Foundation, has witnessed a collaboration in the past.

She noted that Ghana's blood supply system currently relies on a combination of voluntary unpaid blood donations and replacement donations by family, relatives, and friends. She disclosed that blood transfusions were necessary to improve the quality of life of patients with various acute and chronic conditions, such as women with heavy blood loss during childbirth, children with severe anaemia from sickle cell disease and malaria, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, patients requiring dialysis, victims of road traffic crashes, industrial accidents, and disasters, and patients undergoing surgery (emergency and planned surgery).

The limited shelf life of blood supplies, Dr. Owusu-Ofori noted, meant that blood donations must be regular in order to prevent patients from waiting long periods of time to transfusions and thus prevent any loss of lives.

The Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Manager at MTN, Ms. Adwoa Wiafe, disclosed that till date, 26,000 units of blood had been collected, with about 6,000 units being recorded in 2023 alone. The target this year, she said, was to collect 7,000 units across 38 bleeding centers in all 16 regions.

She said that the MTN Ghana Foundation, together with MTN Employee Volunteers, decided to organize this life-saving event every Valentine's Day since 2011 not only to donate blood but also to raise awareness about the importance of voluntary blood donation and show commitment to the health and wellbeing of the community.

Ms. Wiafe expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Health, the National Blood Bank, and healthcare workers for their role in providing quality healthcare and urged all and sundry to cultivate the habit of donating blood.

To donate blood, a donor must be healthy, of a sound mind, and between the ages of 17 and 60 years old. They should also have taken a meal, weighed 50kg or more, passed the Hb check, and passed the pre-donation screen and eligibility criteria