Cape Coast-Ghana, Oct. 26, GNA – The Central Regional Office of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), has organised a voluntary blood donation exercise to help restock the Blood Bank of the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH).
The exercise, which had 204 people donating blood, was undertaken in collaboration with CCTH, was on the theme: “Donate blood, Save a Life,” and it is part of their corporate social responsibility.
Ms Francisca Obeng, Regional Head in an interview with the Ghana News Agency underscored the importance of blood, and the need for all to join hands by volunteering to always donate blood for the blood bank.
She stated that the FDA had since 2016 organised an annual blood donation exercise collecting pints to restock the blood bank.
The exercise was replicated in all of its regional offices in collaboration with the regional hospitals.
However, Ms Obeng said the FDA exists to ensure the safety, quality and efficacy of human and veterinary drugs, food, biological products, cosmetics, medical devices, household chemical substances and clinical trials.
It is also to control the use of tobacco products through the enforcement of relevant standards to protect public health.
By so doing, it would ensure adequate and effective standards for food, drugs, cosmetics, household chemicals and medical devices as stipulated in the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851).
Mrs Comfort Amoah, a nurse with the CCTH said donors were properly counselled and screened before their blood was taken.
According to her, blood donation replenishes and improves the blood of a donor rather than causing a shortage of blood in the donor’s body.
She told the public to disregard the myths about blood donation and urged the public to donate to stock up the blood bank to help others who may require such transfusions during emergencies.
