Plea to increase blood donation places at Kenyatta National Hospital

Like most working mothers, I also have a philanthropic side, what CEOs call pet project. As a corporate woman, having such makes you a serious citizen committed to giving back to the community and gives you a sense of fulfillment.

Now there are some mothers whose pet project is donating sanitary towel projects to school girls, others it is donating books to schools etc. Mine is blood donation. I am well aware that our blood bank situation in the country is terribly low, therefore I always feel compelled to donate twice a year.

And this is a burden I take even more passionately because a medic friend at a public hospital told me that the blood situation is depressingly low, it should be declared a national crisis.

Blood in the hospital is like liquid gold and if you have a patient who needs it urgently, before the hospital donates to a patient its depleted reserves the relatives have to donate several pints to replenish the stock. So where am I headed with this bloody story of mine?

Today, I will share my experience as a blood donor at Kenyatta National Hospital, the country’s largest referral hospital, hoping that my story will trigger action so that something can be done to change the situation.

So I have never donated blood in a public hospital, I always do it at strategically located donation points (bus stops, supermarkets) at the CBD because of the convenience and the efficiency of the NGOs behind it.

So here I was one Sunday afternoon after seeing a relative admitted at the one of the cancer wards, I felt touched to donate because I was told chemo drugs dry ones blood. I asked one of the nurses where I can donate and I was directed to the casualty on ground floor.

“OK, I have to go all the way downstairs, why can’t they have a donation points here at a cancer ward for convenience to the donor,” I wondered as I made my way to the donation unit. I was even towing with the idea of just letting it go, because I imagined it would take too long yet I was pressed for time.

But, oh well, since blood donation is my way of giving back to humanity, I begrudgingly made my way there hoping that they will receive me with open arms and make the process fast.

Shock on me. I found a long queue there and slow service, understandably so because of the few personnel who appeared overwhelmed by the numbers. I was told to fill some forms and wait and I will be served in an hour. I waited impatiently.

An hour turned to be too long and because I was in a hurry, I left. And the busy nurses never even noticed that a potential donor has left with blood, blood that would have saved somebody’s life at the ICU.

My question as I left was this, given that blood is desperately needed at the hospital, why can’t they have several donation places at strategic points like the cancer wards so that as visitors come they can quickly and conveniently donate? I hope when I go back there next time, things will have improved.