Blood donation apathy among adult donors has resulted in shortage of blood in the country.
The Kenya National Blood Transfusion Service (KNBTS) director, Dr Margaret Oduor said despite the fact that adults are the highest recipients of blood, most of them shun from donating blood, attributing the problem to poor blood donation culture and lack of enough awareness.
Speaking in Kikuyu town on Wednesday where they conducted a blood collection exercise, the director attested that last year, they collected 186, 000 units of blood against a national requirement of 400, 000 units.
She said KNBTS usually collects about 50 per cent of blood which they distribute to various hospitals while some hospitals complement the exercise by collecting about 30 per cent of blood, leaving a deficit of 20 per cent.
“With this shortage, there is need to create a culture of voluntary blood donation through constant engagement with adult donors through information, education and information,” noted the doctor.
Oduor divulged that in the country, two of every three units of blood are transfused to mothers and children saying the leading cause of maternal mortality are bleeding just before or after childbirth or due to a miscarriage.
“The demand for blood and blood products is on the rise owing to the sporadic terror attacks, road traffic injuries, cancer cases and anemia occasioned by malaria and other medical conditions,” stated the director.
She expressed that they have embarked in a nationwide blood donation campaign targeting adult donors to mitigate the current scenario in an effort to offer Kenyans more secure treatment and to save lives.
KNBTS corporate affairs manager Joseph Kamotho said the campaign which started three months ago in Nyeri County will cover 11 counties by the end of 2015 before it is rolled out to other counties.
“It is envisaged that at the end of this campaign in December 2015, KNBTS will have collected about 150, 000 units of blood,” said Kamotho.
He said the counties under the pilot programme include Embu, Kirinyaga, Nyandarua, Uasin Gishu, Kajiado, Lakipia and Nairobi.