Tobinco Foundation in collaboration with Atinka Fm, has organised a blood donation exercise as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to support the National Blood Service (NBS), Ghana in saving lives.
The exercise which took place in Accra on Saturday was meant to contribute to the number of blood needed by the Service to save patients including road accident victims, women requiring blood following childbirth, and children with life-threatening anaemia from severe malaria.
Mrs Millicent Akoto, Executive Director of the Foundation said the exercise was also undertaking with the support of They are also undertaking the exercise in collaboration with the Accra Area Blood Centre of the NBS.
She said the exercise followed a request from the Service to the Foundation to support it in saving lives.
“People die in hospitals because of few pints of blood they may need, therefore we expect that this exercise will contribute to the stock of blood at the Centre so that, enough blood will be available for patients who need it”.
Mrs Akoto said participants of the exercise were reached through publication on air by Atinka Fm, adding that the NBS went to educate and appeal to the congregation of Dr Wyart Pentecost Church to partake in the exercise.
She said the Foundation hopes to make the exercise an annual event.
Mr Emmanuel Kyei, the General Manager of Atinka Fm, said there is always a clarion call when it comes to donating blood to save lives and Atinka fm, which believes in given to the society and serving as the voice of the voiceless in the society, decided to support such initiative from the Foundation.
“Although we pray that accidents do not occur in the forthcoming Christmas as it happens sometimes, this donation exercise is prudent to save those lives in case the unfortunate happens”, he said.
Mr Kyei noted that the foremost objective of the organizers is to save lives and not to promote themselves.
He disclosed that the exercise was undertaken with the support of the other companies under the Tobinco Group namely, Tobinco Pharmaceuticals, Entrance Pharmaceuticals and Research Centre, Abii National Savings and Loans, Priority Insurance, Tobblues Estates and Dor events.
Mr Mark Kofi Tetteh, Blood Donor Recruitor, NBS told the GNA in an interview that since blood has no substitute, the exercise was necessary to save lives of patients who may need it.
He said as a body that distributes blood to the various health institutions in the Greater Accra Region and beyond, they welcome everybody or group that takes up the responsibility to contribute to saving a life through blood donation.
“On a daily basis, we need about 300 to 400 pints of blood, but unfortunately we don’t meet that, and that’s why we are appealing to all institutions and organisations to organize blood donation exercises so that we can save our country, because whoever donates blood is a hero”.
The Tobinco Foundation is a subsidiary of the Tobinco Group of Companies that operates the CSR of the Group to support the vulnerable including widows, orphans, the aged, persons with disability and strange medical conditions who cannot bear the cost of their diseases.
