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A row has erupted between the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Services (KNBTS) and an NGO over blood donation campaigns.
National Council of Community Based Organisations claims that despite a biting blood shortage in blood banks across the country, the director has been frustrating their campaigns for donation of the life saving body fluid without valid reasons.
The row started this month when the CBO organised blood donation in Machakos County only to be told that they had no blood bags to facilitate the exercise. “On November 2 we were at Mulu Mutisya grounds where we had mobilised hundreds of residents to show up for blood donation. The local blood transfusion centre had no blood bags. I was forced to source them from another donor,” said the CBO chair Tom Aosa. From the donor, Mr Aosa secured 400 blood bags, 96 of which were used while the rest were kept.
Blood bags
The acute shortage of blood bags has been attributed to the withdrawal of Sh2b annual support from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Pepfar) two months ago which was in the blood donation programme.
On November 14, Mr Aosa accompanied by CBOs leaders visited the Nakuru blood transfusion centre where they offered to mobilise people for blood donation but found the centre had no blood bags.
He claimed that KNBTS Director Fridah Govedi has since directed the Nakuru Transfusion Centre not to conduct the exercise slated for December 7 despite him offering to provide 300 blood bags.
“I made calls to her and wrote emails but she didn’t respond to any. Her junior officers called me with instructions that I should stop plans for the exercise until I receive communication from the Ministry,” said Mr Aosa.
The CBO chairman raised the matter with Health CS Sicily Kariuki seeking to know why the ministry would stop the national agency from performing its roles. “We request for your intervention urgently as the country is facing serious blood shortage and blood bags. We have mobilised donors and request that KNBTS officials to supervise the process on December 7,” read the letter which Saturday Standard has copy of.
Mr Aosa said that they were yet to receive communication from the Ministry with only two weeks remaining to the exercise. Dr Govedi could not be reached for comment while KNBTS public relations officer Joseph Kamotho declined to comment on the matter. “I am not in a position to comment on blood shortage, or blood bags,” said Mr Kamotho. Head Public Communications at the Health Ministry Josephine Mbeo confirmed they received the complaint from the NGO.
“Though blood donation is the role of the national government, it is not clear why the KNBTS boss would stop the blood drive in Nakuru after conducting the same in Machakos. The matter is being addressed,” she said.
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