MTN Ghana, in collaboration with students from three Senior High Schools in the Kumasi Metropolis, on Valentine Day embarked on a blood donation exercise in support of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) Blood Bank.
The schools, whose students participated in the blood donation to the Komfo Anokye Medicine and Transfusion Unit, were Osei Kyeretwie, Kumasi Girls and Kumasi Secondary Technical Senior High Schools.
The exercise, dubbed “Save A life” blood donation, formed part of an annual activities drawn up by MTN Ghana to observe Valentine Day.
Mr. Charles Osei Akoto, Technical Head in charge of Northern Sector, explained that MTN prioritises the health needs of Ghanaians and, therefore, uses the blood donation exercise to encourage people, including its customers, to donate blood to restock the blood transfusion units of the various Blood Banks across Ghana to enable them attend to emergency cases that were brought to the hospitals.
The Technical Head disclosed that MTN was targeting 4,000 pints of blood for the Medicine and Transfusion Units in the 16 regions of Ghana.
He said MTN was targeting about 300 students to voluntarily donate blood in Kumasi.
Mr. Akoto indicated that in 2013, MTN was adjudged the highest corporate donor of blood to the Transfusion Unit, and placed second in 2014.
He said MTN considers people as part of the business and was committed to carry out health drives such as ‘Save A Life’ blood donation.
Christian Oppong Mensah, Blood Manager at KATH, also stated that the Transfusion Unit needed blood to sustain its operations and to enable the hospital attend to emergencies and other services that require the transfusion of blood.
He underscored that, the Unit was able to restock blood at seasons when schools, especially Senior High Schools, were in session.
He said only healthy persons were allowed to donate blood after proper screening, and commended MTN for sustaining the exercise since 2011, and also lauded the three schools that agreed to allow their students to voluntarily donate blood.
