The Ashanti Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Aaron Ofei, has appealed to Ghanaians to accept to voluntarily donate blood to help prevent avoidable deaths.
He said the availability of safe blood at the health facilities held the key to achieving the millennium development goals (MDGs) on health saying it would significantly assist in reducing maternal deaths, save anaemic children and accident victims.
Dr Ofei said this at the launch of the 33rd national health week celebration of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Medical Students Association at Asante-Bekwai.
The event provided the platform to rally people in the Municipality to give blood in support of the hospitals.
The response was quite encouraging as 40 among the gathering readily donated their blood and there was also free medical screening while others were given medication.
Those, whose cases were complicated, were referred to the Bekwai Government Hospital and the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) for further checks and treatment.
Mr Noah Asante Manu, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), said there was the need to intensify the blood donation campaign to bring on board more voluntary donors.
He said people must appreciate to donate blood as service to humanity and they must do this without expecting anything in return.
Dr Nana Yaw Manu, Medical Superintendent of the Bekwai Hospital, said it was not true that blood received from donors is sold to patients.
He said the stipend collected by the facilities is only to take care of its treatment and screening to ensure safety.
Mr Cephas Avoka, Vice President of the Federation of Ghana Medical Students Association (FGMSA), said as part of activities marking the week, there would be outreach programmes in all the districts across the nation to convince people to donate blood.