November 22

Inside NOV 22, 2018 .qxp_Layout 1 11/21/18 9:36 PM Page 6
Facts about G6PD
• Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase
deficiency (also called G6PD
Deficiency) is a genetic disorder that
mainly affects red blood cells, which
carry oxygen from the lungs to tissues
throughout the body. A defect
in an enzyme called glucose-6-
phosphate dehydrogenase causes
red blood cells to break down prematurely
(hemolysis).
• This can cause hemolytic anemia,
which can lead to symptoms of
paleness, yellowing of the skin and
whites of the eyes (jaundice), dark
urine, fatigue, shortness of breath,
and a rapid heart rate.
• Factors such as infections,
certain drugs, or ingesting fava
beans can increase the levels of reactive
oxygen species, causing red
blood cells to be destroyed faster
than the body can replace them. A
reduction in the amount of red
blood cells causes the signs and
symptoms of hemolytic anemia.
• Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase
deficiency is located on
the X chromosome and tends to
affect men more often than
women.
WWW.DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH
DAILY HERITAGE THURSDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2018
&Env.
Blood banks need right
infrastructure – UCC Dean
PROFESSOR MRS Ivy
Adwowa Efiefi Ekem,
Dean of Medical Sciences
at the University
of Cape Coast, has
called on the government
to provide the right infrastructure
for the blood banks to
enable workers to give world-class
service.
Prof Ekem said the budgetary
support for their activities came
from the government and appealed
that their activities should
be prioritised since “the blood
service requires sound infrastructure
to make it successful and
avoid a crisis.”
She made the appeal at the
opening of the third ECOWAS
regional conference of the Africa
Society for Blood Transfusion
(AfSBT) in Accra.
The two-day conference is on
the theme ‘Voluntary unpaid
blood donation – Requirement for
quality health system”.
Prof Ekem explained sound
infrastructure as putting the right
system and structures in place, including
effective information technology,
appropriate buildings,
vehicles, financial fluidity and
quality systems for all processes.
Professor Ekem said an effective
blood service, recruiting voluntary
unpaid donors, needed to
work in collaboration with the
Ministry of Health, the Ghana
Health Service, Christian Health
Association of Ghana, Red Cross,
institutions of learning, the media,
corporate institutions, the Ministries
of Women and Children,
Roads and Highways, the general
populace and the National Ambulance
Service.
These collaborations, she
stated, must come with mutual understanding
and respect.
Professor Ekem called for regular
dialogue with funders to ensure
that regulations would be enforced
and also have an independent
body with legal backing.
This, she said, would ensure
that members in the sub-region
applied the same standards in
donor recruitment and retention,
testing and storage, use of blood
and blood products and above all,
being equipped to do so.
She called on members of
AfSBT and the ECOWAS region
to recruit more voluntary blood
donors to help achieve the 100%
donation with a blood collection
index of 10, saying that the centres
in Ghana were increasing
their voluntary blood pool.
She discouraged the giving of
souvenirs to donors, except for
special occasions, stating that they
should be made to understand
that their efforts were invaluable
and that they were being recognised.
Professor Ekem, on the other
hand, said doctors should be
trained to investigate anaemia and
how it could properly be treated
to avoid the situation where they
would need a blood transfusion.
Professor Aba Omotunde
Sagoe, a Consultant Haematologist,
said the donors should be educated
to overcome their fears of
blood donation and be made to
appreciate the benefits such as
free health checks, rejuvenation of
blood and saving the lives of others.
Mrs Mavis Okyere, Chairperson
of the Local Planning Committee,
said the conference offered
members the opportunity to
renew contacts and discuss issues
of mutual interest.
GCB donates medical items to Korle-Bu Hospital
•Mr Anselm Ray Sowah (L), MD
of GCB Bank, presenting the
items to Dr Daniel Asare, CEO of
Korle-Bu
GCB Bank, in partnership with
the Global Outreach Consortium,
a non-governmental organisation,
has donated medical items and
equipment worth GHȼ 28,850.00
to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
The items include ultrasound
transmission gel, respironics, paediatric
airway circuit, urine transfer
straw, ice packs, chemo spill kits,
theatre light handles, limb restraining
product, hemi-knee brace, absorbent
pad, blankets, water jugs,
bedpans, lead jacket, neurosurgery
equipment among others.
The items will be distributed to
various units in the hospital,
namely Anaesthesia, Laboratory,
General Surgery, Orthopedic,
Plastic Surgery, Urology, General
and Radiology.
The Managing Director of the
Bank, Mr Anselm Ray Sowah, together
with Dr Priscilla Vandyck-
Sey, the Executive Director of
Global Outreach Consortium,
made the presentation to the
Chief Executive Office of the
Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr
Daniel Asare.
Mr Sowah
said the items
were to support
Ghana’s premier
medical
institution.
He also
thanked the
Global Outreach
Consortium
for
partnering with
the Bank to
provide critical
equipment necessary
for the
delivery of efficient
and effective
health
care.
On behalf of the Global Outreach
Consortium, Dr Vandyck-
Sey expressed gratitude to GCB
Bank for its support towards this
good cause.
Dr Asare, on behalf of the
hospital, expressed gratitude to
both Global Outreach consortium
and GCB Bank.
He also appealed to the Bank
for financial assistance to help revamp
the wards towards the hospital’s
centenary anniversary
celebration in 2023.
Dr. Asare gave assurance that
the hospital would strengthen its
business relationship with the
Bank.
Earlier this year, GCB Bank
partnered Global Outreach Consortium
to organise the Restoring
Hope Outreach programme, in
which some doctors from the
USA and Germany performed
surgeries in some communities
like Labadi, Ridge and Korle-Bu.