No sex for blood donors

Men who donated blood last Wednesday, in commemoration of the Valentine’s Day, and hoped to have good time in bed with their partners had to postpone that.

This is because having sex 24 hours after donating blood will be detrimental to the life of a male blood donor.

However, females who donate blood can go ahead and enjoy sex since they are not required to exert the same amount of energy required during intercourse.

This came to light when the Volta Regional Organiser of the Blood Bank, Vincent Fekpe, interacted with some journalists during a blood donation exercised organised by MTN to commemorate the Valentine’s Day.

The exercise which is the sixth annual blood donation exercise by the foundation was dubbed ‘Save A Life Campaign’.

Some of the young men who interacted with DAILY GUIDE after donating their blood expressed dismay after they were asked if they knew they couldn’t have sex that night unless 24 hours later.

One of them who gave his name as Elorm Ayivi exclaimed, “Oh my God, I have a serious match today ohh; to wit, he has a date with the girlfriend. Ah well, maybe I will have to postpone it till tomorrow.”

He was disappointed to hear that he could collapse if he attempted having sex after donating blood that same day, adding, “I should have known this before donating.”

Mr Fekpe indicated that blood supply at the bank has seen some improvement compared to the last quarter of last year. He, however, pointed out that the need for blood at the various hospitals in the region keeps increasing and it, therefore, behoves the public to regularly donate blood.

Cynthia Lumor, Executive Director of MTN Ghana Foundation, in a speech read for her by the Volta Regional Sales Manager, Raymond Tibson, pointed out that since 2012, MTN has collected over 3,715 pints of blood to support the national transfusion services and other regional hospitals, which she believes has gone a long to save many lives.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), voluntary non-remunerated blood donors are the foundation of a safe, sustainable blood supply. The organisation maintains that without a system based on regular voluntary donation, no country can provide sufficient blood for all patients who require transfusion.

In Ghana, statistics from the National Blood Bank indicate that out of the 250,000 pints of blood needed yearly, only 66 percent is donated voluntarily. It is, therefore, necessary for frequent voluntary blood donations to stock the blood banks nationwide.

Mrs Lumor maintained that apart from helping to create a sustainable blood supply, there are also health benefits related to regular blood donations, and encouraged the public to regularly donate blood to save a life.

She disclosed that the foundation exceeded its target of 1,200 pints of blood last year by raising 1,645 pints of blood.

The executive director of MTN is hopeful that this year’s target of 2,017 would be met or exceeded.