•The supplies being distributed by the ministry through the Kenya Blood Transfusion and Transplant Service (KBTTS) are destined for the six regional blood and 43 blood satellites in the counties
•The PS Medical Services Harry Kimtai confirmed another consignment of 150,000 units is expected in the country before the end of February
Image: MAGDALINE SAYA
The Ministry of Health has flagged off 150,000 blood bags and essential supplies.
The supplies being distributed by the ministry through the Kenya Blood Transfusion and Transplant Service (KBTTS) are destined for the six regional blood and 43 blood satellites in the counties.
The PS Medical Services Harry Kimtai confirmed another consignment of 150,000 units is expected in the country before the end of February.
Also present during the flag-off exercise were blood ambassadors including Charlene Ruto, Kenya’s top male and female donors Kennedy Sanya and Aisha Dafalla and former Bungoma First Lady Caroline Wangamati.
This comes even as the service targets to collect at least 500,000 units of blood annually.
“Increased funding for KNBTTS has enhanced blood collection efforts from 384,000 in the Financial Year 2021/2022 to 412,868 units in 2022/2023. We are on course to ensure that we collect at least 500,000 units of blood annually,” Kimtai said.
Blood transfusions are essential for various medical procedures such as surgeries, trauma care, cancer treatment, maternal care and managing other blood-related disorders.
According to the PS, the procurement of donor selection kits and Transfusion Transmissible infections testing equipment and reagents has ensured safe and quality blood is available to patients.
“To ensure the highest standards of quality and safety, there are six regional centres of excellence reference laboratories,” the PS said.
“These state-of-the-art facilities are responsible for conducting all necessary testing and screening procedures on collected blood,” he added.
Kimtai said centralization of the process has ensured the integrity and reliability of the blood supply adding that the service had enhanced cold storage facilities from 18,000 units to the current 80,000 units.
Charlene has called on Kenyans to embrace the culture of donating blood to be able to ensure sustainable supply in the country.
“We still have a pending target of about 300,000 pints to meet before June and we are asking all our Kenyans to come out in huge numbers so that we can donate blood for emergencies, for our mothers and all Kenyans in general,” Charlene said.
One of the critical requirements for blood transfusion is to save the lives of women who suffer severe bleeding during pregnancy, delivery or after childbirth.
Such haemorrhage can be fatal within two hours if untreated.
Of the 196,000 women who die each year in sub-Saharan Africa from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications, a third die from bleeding (obstetric haemorrhage).
Wangamati, who is also the team lead for the Coalition of Blood for Africa expressed concern that too many lives are lost in the country due to loss of blood.
"Too many women are dying because of post-partum haemorrhage, we are losing a lot of our children from anaemia, we have a lot of oncology patients who need to get their blood to the right levels so that they can receive their treatment," Wangamati said.
Pregnant women need blood transfusions to treat anaemia or bleeding due to pathologies in some pregnancies.
Half of the maternal deaths from severe bleeding in the world occur in sub-Saharan Africa and about 65 per cent of these deaths occur after birth.