This archive report was first published on 24 December 2019.
December 24, 2019, marked a significant day in the debate over blood transfusion in Kenya, as a proposed Bill sponsored by Murang'a Woman Representative Sabina Chege continued to gain opposition from medical laboratory officers.
The Kenya National Blood Transfusion Service Bill, 2019, aims to establish an independent body to source funds and mobilize blood donations. However, the Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers (KNUMLO) has come out strongly against the Bill, citing concerns over blood safety standards.
KNUMLO Secretary General Enock Wanyonyi argued that the Bill's proposal to transfer blood transfusion processes from medical laboratory departments to physicians and pharmacists would compromise existing stringent testing requirements and universal best practices.
Wanyonyi emphasized that medical laboratory officers are the backbone of blood transfusion, responsible for 97 percent of the process, including donor mobilization, blood collection, storage, and screening for sexually transmitted diseases.
He warned that failure to involve qualified medical laboratory professionals in the blood transfusion process would expose recipients to Transfusion Transmissible Infections (TTIs) such as HIV, hepatitis B and C virus, and syphilis.
Wanyonyi urged lawmakers to prioritize legislation that benefits Kenyans, rather than a few individuals, and to reject the Bill, which he believes is intended to commercialize blood transfusion for personal gain.
