Kisii County faces an acute shortage of blood, director of health services Geoffrey Otomu has said.
Otomu said the county transfuses 200 pints of blood everyday.
He said that patients who require patients now depend of their relatives.
“Our region is currently facing acute shortage of blood. Sometimes relatives of patients who urgently require the same donate for them,” Otomu said.
The director said they used to depend on schools and colleges for donation but since the Covid-19 outbreak, they have been unable to get enough blood.
“Schools and colleges used to play a key role in donating blood for our patients but since the outbreak of the pandemic we are unable to get enough blood,” he said.
He attributed the shortage to failure by National Government to provide resources to the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Service Kisii satellite to enable it conduct a blood donation campaign. Kisii and Nyamira counties require 24,000 units of blood per year.
“The satellite does not just service Kisii and Nyamira counties, but it extends to neighboring counties when they request for the blood,” the medic said.
Otumu called on volunteers to visit Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital to donate blood to help the needy cases.
