Insurance industry launches 2022 nation-wide blood donation campaign

Arenowned Gynaecologist and the Medical Director of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Dr. Emmanuel Srofenyoh, will be the Guest Speaker at the launch of the Ghana Insurance Industry’s Blood Donation campaign 2022 on Tuesday, August 9, 2022.

It is expected that he would share with the general public the importance of voluntary blood donation to save lives of especially pregnant women in labour and other patients who may be in need of blood to survive. The renowned Gynaecologist, who is noted for his passion about voluntary blood donation, has accepted the invitation by the Commissioner of Insurance, Dr. Justice Ofori, to speak on the worrying trend of the reluctance of some individuals to donate blood. He is also expected to make a clarion call on other well-meaning individuals and organisations in the country to voluntarily embark on regular blood donation exercises. This will be necessary to help stock the blood banks across the country.

Some health workers posited that they, as health professionals, are naturally guided by their professional ethics to ensure that their patients sleep before they sleep! Nonetheless, they bemoaned the fact that on many occasions, the delays in getting compatible units of blood to save lives have the potential of causing deaths.

It is for this reason that the Insurance Industry, led by the National Insurance Commission (NIC), declared the month of August every year as Ghana Insurance Industry Blood Donation Month.

Last year’s Guest Speaker, Prof Agyeman Badu-Akosa, a prominent pathologist, suggested that the spirit of volunteerism should be inculcated in people. He added that the body has a capacity to regenerate itself, and even in regenerating itself, one would say his or her body has given itself a booster during that period of regeneration.

The Commissioner of Insurance, Dr. Justice Ofori is expected to declare the 2022 campaign open for the exercise to take place in all the regions of Ghana. He will also be the first to donate on the day as he leads Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of insurance entities, staff of NIC, and other bodies to do same.

The insurance industry will be represented by leaders of all industry bodies such as the Ghana Insurers Association (GIA), the Insurance Brokers Association of Ghana (IBAG), the Chartered Insurance Institute of Ghana (CIIG), the ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Secretariat, the Ghana Insurance College (GIC) and the West African Insurance Companies Association (WAICA).

Last year’s blood donation campaign saw 802 units of blood donated by the insurance industry employees, which was under the theme: ‘Donate Blood, Save a Life; If You Do It For Someone, You Do It For yourself’.