The Ministry of Health has come up with a vein-to-vein system of securing blood in the country.
The 3-tiered structure will have a web-based inventory that accounts for collections and distributions and is in phase one. It is already being deployed to all regional blood transfusion centres, satellite and blood banks.
Under phase two, there is a blood inventory management system tracking blood bags and phase three comprising of a vein-to-vein sharing platform that shall have onboard all facilities both private and public across Kenya.
The government is also in the process of upgrading the country’s regional blood banks to increase capacity from the current 95,642 to at least 300,000 units.
Similarly, the ministry is implementing guidelines to protect both blood donors and the healthcare workers during blood drives after previous reports of the blood being sold to neighbouring Somalia by cartels at the ministry emerged.
The scandal saw Health CS Mutahi Kagwe make changes in key leadership positions at the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Services (KNBTS), a process that saw Dr Nduku Kilonzo take over from the then embattled Director Dr Fridah Govedi.
Speaking when he launched a blood drive for Valentines' day coming on February 14, at the KNBS offices at KNH annexe, Kagwe said to guarantee safety, the KNBTS is in the process of getting accreditation from Kenya Accreditation Services (KENAS).
This will develop with global bodies such as Africa and Global Societies for Blood Transfusion.
“If there was a silver lining to the challenges we previously had, it is that they jolted us into quickly canvassing the globe for best practices and the most practical solutions to sealing the loopholes,” Kagwe said.
“With 40 per cent of maternal mortalities occurring due to bleeding, road accidents and cancer, we must all pull together in both responding to blood drives and ensuring that none of us dies as a result of blood loss,” he said.
Kagwe said gone are the days when blood was being trafficked into neighbouring countries and gone will be the days when patients die because they didn’t have access to blood despite sufficient supplies.
He said, “Where an over-reliance on humans has failed us, technology is stepping in to protect us.”
Kagwe last year in March invited the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to unravel the problem of blood shortage in the country. To date, no arrests have been made.
The availability of safe blood and blood products is a prerequisite for various health care services.
These include surgeries, treatments for cancer and other acute and chronic medical conditions, trauma care, organ transplantation, and childbirth: all lifesaving procedures.
WHO recommends that Kenya needs at least two per cent of the population to donate blood every year to have blood sufficiency.
Currently, KNBTS is serving over 500 transfusing hospitals nationally with blood and blood components.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
