Kenya targets to collect 200,000 units of blood before December

Joshua Mwithya, a student at Upper Hill School, is among the students who turned up to donate blood at a drive in the school on Saturday.

The blood donation drive was organised by the Kenya Blood Transfusion and Transplant Services.

Mwithya lost two close people due to a blood shortage.

His best friend died a few years ago due to complications of a kidney transplant operation and his uncle from cancer.

The two episodes left him broken.

He wished he could have done something to save their lives.

“This has triggered me to take part in this exercise because it gives me pleasure to cherish every moment,” Mwithya says.

Fredrick Wafula, a Form 4 student, was donating blood for the second time.

Wafula said he donated blood for the first time last year after his teacher was involved in a tragic road accident and admitted to the Kenyatta National Hospital for an emergency blood transfusion

Paul Simiyu, another student, says his aunt had tuberculosis and needed blood and the response from people is a memorable gesture.

“That is why I have decided to donate blood to save a life,” Simiyu says.

KBTTS targets to collect at least 200,000 units of blood by the end of the year to surpass the target of 500,000 units.

During the exercise that was conducted in 16 sites across the country, 2,192 units of blood were collected against the daily target of 1,500 units.

KBTTS head of partnerships and county support Kiprono Chepkok said KBTTS has collected 346,000 units this year.

To surpass this target the agency will have to raise 200,000 units of blood in the next four months to meet the national intention of collecting 500,000 units.

“Once we have an adequate supply of blood we will have reduced patient hospital stay, maternal deaths and patients with renal failure will get a better life for they are not going to be subjected to dialysis,” Chepkok said.

In January, the Ministry of Health embarked on an exercise to map accident hotspots to improve its services.

This is after it emerged that more than 30 per cent of mortalities in the country that result from road accidents are due to bleeding and blood-related complications.

The agency has been undergoing a lot of reforms in the recent past, and a change in blood collection strategy has been arrived at to ensure the availability of blood when and where it is needed.

Kenya has been struggling with a blood shortage. The country requires between 500,000 to one million units of blood a year, yet collects less than a quarter of that volume.

The country needs at least one million pints of blood every year, leaving a huge gap that needs urgent intervention.

The Covid-19 pandemic worsened the shortage crisis as people shunned going to hospitals, coupled with the closure of learning institutions.

The pandemic has led to a reduction in blood-related activities in the region including supply and demand.

The World Health Organization has called on countries to put more emphasis on preparedness plans for health emergencies and the need to maintain bloodstock.

Edited by Kiilu Damaris