Kiambu County is in the process of integrating its blood bank collection centers with a National Online Blood Banking Management System dubbed DamuKe, with the aim of ensuring life-saving blood reaches those in need promptly and safely.
The Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Ministry of ICT, started a Blood Banking Management System, DamuKe, that track and trace system of donating blood from the donor to the recipient.
The online platform which is being operated by the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Services, monitors and tracks blood from the moment of donation to the point of transfusion, ensuring complete transparency and efficiency.
According to Kiambu County Chief Officer of Health Services, Dr. Patrick Nyaga, the County is actively onboarding all blood transfusion sites to integrate with DamuKe with an aim of significantly boosting healthcare services across the County.
“Kiambu County Government is fortunate to have a satellite blood site at Thika Level 5 Hospital, which will serve as a central hub in this initiative,” said Dr. Nyaga
He further urged people to show-up and donate blood, citing that “The availability of safe blood and blood products, is a prerequisite for various health care services”.
DamuKe’s capabilities extend to registering donors, tracking blood through lab processes such as testing, blood typing, component separation, and quality control and managing storage at the blood bank.
“By maintaining a detailed and real-time record of blood units, the online system ‘DamuKe’ enhances the safety and reliability of blood transfusions, thus saving more lives,” he added
KNA spoke to Aisha Dafalla, the highest female blood donor in Kenya, who has donated blood 75 times, totaling 37.5 liters, having begun in 1981, when she was a form three student
Dafalla who says she has retired from blood donation, cited the importance of donating plasma and platelets, which she is still actively involved
Platelets are tiny cells in our blood which help it to clot and prevent bleeding and they are used in treatments for many patients with cancer and blood disorders
She stresses the significance of every donation, emphasizing that a single contribution can have a monumental impact, potentially saving multiple lives.
“Since platelets help control bleeding, they are very important for heart surgery patients, burn victims, organ transplant patients, bone marrow transplant patients, accident victims, premature babies and especially cancer patients, thus the need for platelets as cancer is now the leading cause of deaths in the county”.
By Grace Naishoo
