National Blood Service supports KATH with centrifuge machine
The National Blood Service (NBS) has presented a Centrifuge Heraeus Cryofuge 8 machine to the Transfusion Medicine Unit of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi.
The state-of-the-art equipment valued at over GH¢1 million will significantly enhance KATH’s capacity to speedily process and separate blood components, which is a critical aspect of modern transfusion medicine.
Among other things, the equipment is typically used for separation of plasma, red blood cells or platelets for transfusion purposes.
The donation of the equipment is a testament of the NBS’ commitment to strengthening and advancing healthcare service delivery in the country.
The Chief Executive of the NBS, Dr Shirley Owusu-Ofori, speaking at a short ceremony to hand over the machine, highlighted the importance of the centrifuge in ensuring the availability of high-quality blood products for needy patients.
She noted that the donation aligned with the mission of the service, which was to improve access to safe blood and related services nationwide.
Dr Owusu-Ofori commended the Transfusion Medicine Unit of KATH for its hard work, making it the best performing among the three Blood Service centres in the country.
Professor Otchere Addai-Mensah, Chief Executive of KATH, expressed profound gratitude to the NBS, saying the centrifuge machine would enable the unit to handle larger volumes of blood donations more efficiently, thereby saving many lives.
He said the donation had also saved the hospital the huge cost associated with procuring one of such machines and pledged the determination of management to put a good maintenance plan for it to enhance its lifespan.
The Head of Administration NBS, Prince Ernest Asante, on behalf of the board, stated that after a periodic assessment by the board at the central zonal blood centre, it found it necessary to provide the unit with a new centrifuge machine as it was a critical intervention needed.
“We were here with the board of the National Blood Service to assess the state of the Central Zonal Blood Centre and interact with the staff.
A plea from Dr Lesley was made to provide the centre with a new centrifuge machine to replace the old faulty one, and today, we are here to deliver as promised,” he remarked.
Dr Lesley Osei, Head of KATH Transfusion Medicine Unit, expressed happiness over the donation and said the centrifuge machine would help the unit to work effectively by collecting and storing greater amounts of blood.
She called on all Ghanaians to donate blood during the festive season as a gift to support those in need.
“I wish to call on all Ghanaians as part of their Christmas gifts to donate blood to help save the lives of those in need of blood and for potential accident victims,” she stated. -GNA
