Corona should not make you fear to donate blood

Perennial blood shortage in our medical facilities is a cause for great concern. The Kenya National Blood Transfusion Service (KNBTS) collected only 16 per cent of the one million units required in Kenya annually. This, inevitably, has occasioned a lot of suffering -- and even death.

At the weekend, Busia County Referral Hospital revealed that lives have been lost due to lack of blood. As a result, the hospital's management has launched an urgent appeal for blood donations from its staff and the general public to help avert further needless loss of life.

About 30 pints of blood are used in the hospital daily. However, last Friday the county’s blood reservoir had only 10 pints donated by relatives of patients.

The situation is no different in many other hospitals across the country. The shortage, which was triggered by the US President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) decision to cut its support to Kenya's blood services last year, has been amplified by the coronavirus outbreak. Covid-19 has made some people shun hospitals, fearing that they might contract the virus.

But that ought not be the case. We must continue to be our brothers' keepers. If we follow the measures announced by the government, no one should fear going to donate blood. We must put ourselves in the shoes of those whose lives now hang in the balance due to lack of blood. Tomorrow it could be you.

The government must also urgently fill the gap left by PEPFAR to enable KNBTS to work optimally.