Govt to waive blood processing fees

The government is considering making blood units free by subsidising and removing the prevailing processing fees to improve access and equity in blood services, especially for the vulnerable. 

The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, who made this known, said the policy change was pending parliamentary approval.  

“We have realised that the processing fee for blood donation has become a barrier, affecting the availability of blood in this country.

“Under the Mahama Cares policy framework, we are actively exploring ways to ease the financial burden on patients. This includes subsidies and potentially abolishing blood processing fees, subject to parliamentary approval,” he added.

Event

Mr Akandoh was speaking at an event organised by the National Blood Service (NBS) to commemorate World Donor Day in Accra, on the theme: “Give blood, give hope: Together we save lives."

The day is dedicated to celebrating the generosity of voluntary blood donors and their lifesaving contributions.

In attendance were the Queenmother of the Mankessim Traditional Area, Dr Nana Ama Amissah Ill, and other guests.

Awards were presented to religious bodies and organisations that had supported blood donation drives in the country.

Blood donation

Mr Akandoh called for increased donor mobilisation, particularly among the youth, while urging institutions to organise blood donation exercises, at least twice a year, to build a sustainable national blood reserve.

He expressed gratitude to voluntary blood donors and called for a culture of regular blood donation through partnerships with various institutions.

“We have itemised the Service on the National Health Insurance Formula.

I encourage you to put in an application to assess your allocation with respect to the National Health Insurance Formula 2025,” the minister said.

Donors

The Chief Executive Officer of the National Blood Service, Dr Shirley Owusu-Ofori, said her outfit collected 187,000 units of blood last year, achieving 99 per cent of the blood collection index.

She said over 45,000 units were processed into life-saving components, adding that the NBS's index had risen from 5.9 to 6.1.

Dr Owusu-Ofori, however, said that the service lacked vehicles, including mobile blood vans, which she said were critical to voluntary blood mobilisation efforts.

The CEO said they intended to establish regional centres across the country and redesignate existing zonal blood centres as regional blood centres to improve access, safety and availability of blood products.

She thanked the World Health Organisation and other partners for organising blood drives and educational campaigns.

In a speech read on her behalf, the WHO Ghana Country Representative, Dr Fiona Braka, said the country aimed for 33 donations per 1000, but currently it collected only 30 per voluntary donations, falling short of the 80 per cent for the Africa region.