National Blood Service meets only 66% of requirement

Ghana met its national blood collection target for 2025 but still fell significantly short of the country’s overall needs, leaving a gap that continued to put patients at risk. 

This was revealed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Blood Service, Dr Shirley Owusu-Ofori, at the service’s Annual Performance Review held in Accra on  Tuesday March 31.

Dr Owusu-Ofori said the Service collected 204,000 units of blood in 2025, exceeding its target of 200,000 units. This meant improvement in the national blood collection index from 6.1 to 6.6.

Despite this progress, the figure meets only about 66 per cent of the estimated national requirement of 308,000 units.

The CEO said the shortfall meant many patients across the country still struggled to access timely transfusions.

Dr Owusu-Ofori described the situation as a persistent challenge despite one of the service’s strongest performances in recent years. 

“A persistent and growing demand for blood across this nation stretched us as a service, but the gap between supply and demand remains a major concern," she said.

She linked the deficit to risks faced by vulnerable patients, stressing that each unit of blood carried life-saving value.

She also attributed the shortfall to multiple structural challenges, including limited logistics, funding constraints and low voluntary blood donation rates.

Dr Owusu-Ofori said ageing vehicles and inadequate transport systems disrupted outreach efforts and reduced the number of mobile donation sessions the service could conduct.

The CEO added that public misconceptions and negative past experiences acted as barriers to voluntary donation.

Dr Owusu-Ofori urged stakeholders, including the government, private organisations and the public, to support efforts to expand voluntary donation and strengthen the national blood system.

She said the service aimed to build stronger partnerships and improve donor engagement through education and outreach.  

Dr Owusu-Ofori said the service had developed a national digital information management system to track blood from donation to transfusion and improve access.

“This is one thing I want you to put your money on to help us roll out a system that will digitalise and revolutionise blood services across the whole country," she said.

Dr Owusu-Ofori encouraged participants to contribute ideas and support reforms that would improve access and reliability across the system.

“Blood donation is not only a solitary act, but a communal covenant that binds donors, health workers and patients in a common purpose of preserving life,” she stated.