Donating blood is an act of solidarity and it’s important for all to join the campaign and save lives. The need for blood is increasing universally, but access to safe blood remains a challenge worldwide.
Globally, millions of lives are saved every year through blood transfusions, indispensable and life-saving support. It is crucial for those with severe anemia brought on by traumatic injuries, accidents, complications during pregnancy, major surgeries, transplants, congenital hemoglobin abnormalities, and immune-deficiency diseases.
In a move designed to encourage more blood donors and stock its blood bank for urgent transfusions. The Pediatric Department at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH) on Thursday began a mass blood donation drive to help children admitted at the hospital’s Pediatric Department.
The move comes amid the urgent need to help children get admitted at the said Dept. especially in providing readily available blood for transfusions.
However, during the exercise the key word is ‘every drop counts and blood is life.’
It is a fact that sometimes family of patients admitted at various health facilities, struggle so hard to get someone to donate blood for their loved ones.
Also, many complaints that health officials are reluctant to give blood even it is in abundance in their blood bank, thus forcing some into difficult situation. We cannot independently verify whether such claims are true or not. However, blood is life and no patients should be deprived of the right to have blood especially when it is in stock.
Let’s remember that not all patients admitted at EFSTH are residents in the Kombos.
Most of the patients come all the way from far flung communities, some with no relatives in the Kombos.
This makes it important for officials at the hospital to always have in stock abundant blood at their blood bank readily available to be used in times of need.
We commend all volunteers who donated blood for their courage and care for patients. Remember that any pine of blood you give away will go a long way in saving someone’s life.
In any undertaking, one would have detractors. Even donating blood some people would have some misconceptions.
It is a fact that donating blood is not a Gambian problem alone. Around the globe, people have some reservation when it comes to giving blood.
Whatever the case maybe, donating blood is divine and a worthy cause, as any pine one donates goes to saving life.
Let’s encourage voluntary blood donation to save our patients in need of blood.