The Kericho Technical Institute students today turned up in large numbers to donate blood to support the treatment of the victims of the recent road carnage at Londiani Junction that claimed the lives of 52 people and led to 32 others being hospitalized after sustaining severe injuries.
Kericho Satellite Blood Bank Principal Josephine Korir said the blood donation would go a long way in helping the victims admitted at Kericho County Referral and Londiani Sub-County Hospitals in need of blood transfusion.
She invited the public to join the students in the noble course that would also ensure the Kericho Satellite Blood Bank has sufficient blood to facilitate the saving of lives in case of emergencies.
Ms. Korir explained the process of blood donation, saying that donors go through a pre-donation test where a drop of blood from the finger is taken for a simple test to ensure that the blood iron levels are suitable, and after passing the screening test successfully, one is directed to a donor bed for donation, which takes between 6-10 minutes.
“All persons irrespective of the blood group can donate, but before donating, we conduct critical tests since those with high blood pressure, diabetics, HIV/AIDS, epilepsy, those under medication, or breast-feeding mothers are not allowed to donate blood,” added Ms. Korir.
She further explained that before blood donation, a person should weigh over 50 kilograms, be in the age bracket of 16–65 years, have a Hemoglobin (HB) concentration of 12.5 grams per deciliter, and have normal blood pressure.
By Kibe Mburu and Monica Irua
