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Hundred out of 197 maternal deaths recorded last year in the Greater Accra Region were due to bleeding, Dr Linda A. Vanotoo, Greater Accra Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has disclosed.

She said lack of blood at the various hospitals in the region accounted for the high number of maternal deaths.

According to Dr Vanotoo, there was the need to curb the high number of maternal deaths by increasing the number of blood available at the blood banks.

She said these at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital in Accra yesterday during a blood donation exercise.

The exercise, organised by the Regional Health Directorate in collaboration with the Tema General Hospital and the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, was aimed at receiving 1000 pints of blood to stock the blood banks.

Dr Vanotoo said both hospitals recorded the highest child births and referrals from other hospitals last year, hence the need to stock the blood banks of the two hospitals.

The Regional Director called on Ghanaians to donate blood at the nearest hospital to help save lives of pregnant women and improve on quality care at the hospital.

A consultant obstetrician gynecologist at the Ridge Hospital, Dr Emmanuel Srofenyoh urged Ghanaians to volunteer to, at least, donate blood every three months, adding that the lack of blood was a major cause of maternal death in the country.

The consultant denied rumours that blood was sold to needy patients, explaining that recipients only pay processing fee.

“The processing fee is the cost for preserving the blood as there are stages the blood goes through to keep it healthy,” he added.

Dr Srofenyoh said that June 14 every year has been set aside as the International Blood Donation Day and urged Ghanaians to observe it.