Ghanaians have been asked to be truthful while answering questions prior to giving blood by the scientist in charge of the blood bank at the International Maritime Hospital (IMaH) in Tema.
Before donating blood, prospective blood donors are required to complete a private questionnaire regarding their medical history, according to Ms. Doris Kusima Baiden.
This can help the medical staff provide donors and recipients with better care by giving them a better understanding of your general health and blood condition.
The Ghana News Agency’s weekly “Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility!” initiative, which aims to promote health-related communication and provide a platform for the dissemination of health information to influence personal health choices through improved health literacy, featured Ms. Baiden discussing blood donation-related issues.
Before donating blood, Ms. Baiden noted that “we first take personal details like your name, age, date of birth, address, and other contacts,” with the assistance of Mr. Robert Tetteh Djimajor, also an IMaH Medical Laboratory Scientist. We then continue by asking private health-related inquiries.
Ms. Baiden emphasized that donors were expected to be honest about current health conditions, drugs taken recently, past sexual behavior, and other lifestyle choices.
“These questions are very confidential and help safeguard your own health and the health of the person receiving the blood. We only want to ensure that one is fully fit physically, mentally, and emotionally before donating blood,” she said.
Because illnesses like HIV, Hepatitis B and C, and Syphilis could be transmitted through transfusion to a patient receiving blood, she stressed how crucial it is to be honest.
She explained that giving blood not only helped the recipient but also allowed donors the chance to have a quick medical checkup that included taking their temperature and pulse, monitoring their blood pressure, making sure they were at a minimal weight, and checking their hemoglobin levels.
“As a blood bank, it is our responsibility to ensure that all the blood coming in is safe for use and does not contribute to the loss of lives in the hospital. Saving lives is a collective responsibility, and all must endeavour to rightly go through the safe and secured procedures to donate blood,” she said.
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