The Ministry of Health has embarked on a three-day blood donation drive at Murang’a University of Technology targeting to collect more than 1,000 pints from the university students.
The blood that will be collected from the exercise that kicked off on Wednesday will be distributed to various health facilities across the country.
Kenya Blood Transfusion and Transplant Services Mt. Kenya Regional Manager Daniel Wachira has noted the initiative, if successful will be able to save 5,000 lives.
He highlighted that young, healthy individuals are the target group as they can donate blood regularly.
“If we manage to collect 1,000 pints of whole blood from the university students, we will be able to save at least 5,000 lives of the patients who are in need of blood transfusion,” he noted.
To maintain the regularity of blood donors, Wachira disclosed that the government will soon roll out a text message service to remind donors when it is time to donate again.
He explained that text messages would be effective, especially in rural areas since most people do not have access to Damu-Ke, a platform where donors can keep track of their blood donation records.
“The government will soon introduce text message updates to all blood donors to keep them informed about the status of their previous donation and their next scheduled donation,” he said.
On his part, Murang’a County Blood Transfusion Officer Peter Mwaniki said that since its inauguration in 2023, the Murang’a County Blood Satellite has collected 8,000 pints of blood without component, furthering the county’s commitment to save lives.
“Last year, we collected 4,000 pints of blood without components. This year, we have already matched that figure, reflecting an increase in blood donors,” added Mwaniki.
Despite these achievements, he stressed that the demand for blood remains high and called for ongoing efforts to raise awareness about the importance of blood donation.
By Bernard Munyao and Honest Mwendwa
