WHO Ghana Staff Donate Blood to Support National Blood Supply

The initiative reflects WHO Ghana's commitment to supporting the country's blood supply while encouraging more people to become regular voluntary donors.

Blood donation remains one of the most effective ways to save lives, providing critical support for patients undergoing surgery, mothers facing childbirth complications, accident victims, children with severe anaemia and many others who require urgent transfusions. In Ghana, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reinforced this message by organising a voluntary blood donation drive for its staff in partnership with the Ghana National Blood Service.

The initiative reflects WHO Ghana's commitment to supporting the country's blood supply while encouraging more people to become regular voluntary donors.

Ghana still needs more voluntary blood donors

Ghana National Blood Service collected 204,000 units of blood in 2025, marking one of its strongest performances in recent years. Even with this progress, the country remains well below the World Health Organization's recommended annual requirement of 308,000 units, equivalent to blood donations from one per cent of the population.

The gap highlights the continued need for more voluntary donors to ensure hospitals have enough safe blood for emergency care, surgeries, maternal health services and the treatment of serious medical conditions.

WHO staff lead by example

WHO Ghana partnered with the National Blood Service to organise the donation exercise at its Country Office, giving staff an opportunity to make a direct contribution to the national blood bank.

WHO Representative to Ghana, Dr Fiona Braka, said every blood donation has the potential to save a life and strengthen the country's health system.

"Every blood donation is an act of compassion that can mean the difference between life and death for someone in need. We are happy to have taken part in this exercise to save lives and strengthen Ghana's health system," she said.

The National Blood Service welcomed the initiative, noting that voluntary blood donors play a vital role in maintaining a safe and reliable blood supply for patients across Ghana. The donated blood will support emergency cases, surgeries, childbirth-related transfusions, cancer treatment and other lifesaving medical procedures.

A simple act with a lasting impact

Many WHO staff described the experience as a meaningful way to help people they may never meet. Dr Angela Ackon, Technical Officer for Integrated Service Delivery, said the few minutes spent donating blood could give someone another chance at life.

She encouraged more people to make blood donation a regular habit, stressing that every unit collected can make a life-saving difference for patients in need.

Through the campaign, WHO Ghana hopes to inspire more individuals and organisations to support voluntary blood donation, showing that a simple act of generosity can have a lasting impact on families and communities across the country.