Mombasa County hospitals are grappling with blood shortage for transfusion purposes, with only 200 of the required 1,000 pints remaining in the county's blood bank.
Regional Blood Transfusion Center head Hamisi Kithi says that the situation is dire, adding that no blood has been coming in lately, forcing the hospitals to utilise the little blood available.
He has blamed the situation on failure by people to donate blood, adding that currently, they are operating under the World Health Organization (WHO) requirement of 1,000 pints.
“It is true there is shortage of blood in Mombasa and this can be attributed to the fact that most people do not donate blood as often as needed. We need to cultivate the culture of donating blood so as to save lives," he told the People Daily on Sunday.
He said that the WHO capped the pints at 1,000, judging by the county's population.
Kithi pointed out that most adults in the county have neglected the role of giving blood. The long school holidays have also contributed to the shortage as schools are their main source of the commodity.
He has encouraged the community to come in and help with the situation, pointing out that their numbers can be of great help in filling the blood banks with blood.