This archive report was first published on 13 June 2020.
June 13, 2020, marked a significant day for Kenya's blood bank as the Health Ministry partnered with Facebook to drive a blood donation campaign among users in the country.
The campaign aims to address the alarming drop in blood donations since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Kenya, forcing people to stay home and making it difficult for hospitals and medical facilities to collect donations.
According to Health Chief Administrative Secretary Rashid Aman, the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Service (KNBTS) used to collect about 500 pints of blood every day before the pandemic, but the situation has changed drastically since then.
“Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Service (KNBTS) used to collect about 500 pints of blood every day. With the onset of Covid-19 in the country, the situation has changed and the figures have dropped,” he said.
Facebook's blood donation feature allows users to know where there are shortages and where they can safely donate blood. The platform also enables blood donation centres to request donations and send notifications to those nearby.
As part of the effort to appeal to Kenyans to volunteer and donate blood, the ministry has collaborated with Facebook and Damu Sasa Systems to mobilize blood donors for the next two days.
