Wa: NHIS restocks regional hospital blood bank
The Upper West Regional office of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has stocked the blood bank of the Wa Regional Hospital with 112 units of blood following a timely blood donation campaign in Wa.
Dr Barnabas Gandau, medical director of the hospital, told Daily Graphic the situation had become critical, and that an emergency requiring blood transfusion could pose a serious challenge.
He appealed to the public to support the effort to stock the blood bank.
Madam Thea Kangkpi, lab manager at the hospital, said they had sometimes borrowed from patients – whose families had donated – to treat emergency cases in order to save lives.
But Mr Samuel Lobber Lekamwe, regional operations manager of the NHIS, expressed satisfaction that his outfit's corporate social responsibility event had proven a timely rescue project.
Various units and groups, including staff at the regional office of NHIS, security services, members of Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), and students, were invited to participate in the blood donation exercise.
Annual event
Mr Lobber Lakamwe said the exercise had become an annual event on the calendar of the regional NHIS office as a contribution towards a better healthcare delivery system.
He said while the health system might be challenged by various issues, including non-availability of medical consumables, sophisticated equipment, human resource personnel, among others, the donation of blood was well within the means of every individual who was touched to support the system.
He said the campaign to stock the blood bank of the hospital had become even more urgent and relevant upon the realization that the facility had run out of blood.
The regional hospital – which is a referral facility for health centres in the region and the neighbourhood – was the recipient facility.