Dr Emmanuel Srofenyo, the Director of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (GARH), says the COVID-19 pandemic has affected blood mobilisation, having a negative impact on the health sector.

He noted that volunteer blood donors feared to visit hospitals to donate blood and, as such, the blood banks had experienced severe shortages.

Dr Srofenyo said this at a blood donation exercise, organised by the Hospital in Accra on Friday.

He said due to the referral nature of the Hospital, it received patients from all over the country, hence the requirement for a loaded blood stock to properly cater for its numerous clients and appealed to the public to donate blood to save lives.

Madam Florence Boahen, the Head of the Bleeding Room at (GARH), explaining the process of blood donation, said donors had to go through registration, checking of blood pressure and weight, an interview for any current medications and other underlying health conditions.

She said people with health conditions such as asthma, malaria and ulcer were not allowed to donate blood.

She said nursing mothers, persons who had had surgery for less than six months or received blood for less than six months were prohibited from giving out blood.

Madam Boahen said the donor’s blood would be sampled and tested with copper sulphate to ascertain if the donor had enough blood to give and also check for hepatitis, syphilis and gonorrhea.

She said when the test was successful, the donor would go on with the donation but a donor with positive results for any of the illness mentioned above would be counseled.

Madam Boahen said the process was safe and reliable and entreated all Ghanaians between the ages of 18 to 57 to donate to improve the blood stock of the Hospital.

Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, the Member of Parliament of Klottey Korle, who took part in the exercise, encouraged the citizenry to donate blood to help the Hospital rejuvenate its stock.

She donated bottles of drinking water and drinks to the Hospital in support of the donation exercise.

Mr Nutifafa Amedzro, who had donated blood for about 25 times, told the Ghana News Agency that blood donation had become a habit for him, after he accompanied a friend to donate whiles in school years ago.

“I tried for the first time and since then I give blood whenever there is an exercise such as this. I feel like donating because my blood could save someone,” he said.

Miss Andriana Baffoe Bonnie, a student, who donated voluntarily, said it was her small way of saving lives and encouraged the public to donate blood to save lives, saying it was not scary.