Wajir: Wajir County First Lady Rukia Abdinassir is spearheading campaigns to donate blood in the county to build blood stock in the local referral hospital and prevent loss of lives. The First Lady urged local residents to volunteer to donate blood following a critical shortage at the Wajir County Referral Hospital, putting the lives of many patients in need of urgent transfusions at risk.
According to Kenya News Agency, the County Government has appealed to members of the public to volunteer at the Wajir Satellite Blood Transfusion Centre, which operates from Monday to Saturday, between 8:00 am and 6:30 pm. In a statement, the county administration warned that the acute scarcity of blood and blood products is endangering vulnerable groups in society, especially expectant mothers and Kala-azar patients who rely heavily on timely transfusions.
In her efforts to mitigate the crisis, the First Lady urged local residents to volunteer in large numbers so as to build enough blood banks during the ongoing drive. R
ukia, who donated blood at the Wajir Satellite Blood Transfusion Centre, termed the initiative as a life-saving gesture and called on able residents to come forward and donate. ‘Blood is a lifeline for many mothers, children, and patients battling serious illnesses. I appeal to all Wajir residents to step up and donate. A single act of kindness can save a life,’ she said.
The blood shortage comes at a time when Wajir County is battling a Kala-azar outbreak, which has since September 2024 claimed over 20 lives and infected more than 500 individuals. Governor Ahmed Abdullahi, while hosting a delegation from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) earlier this week, acknowledged that the outbreak had overwhelmed the referral hospital, stretching the county’s health resources beyond the limit.
In response, the county government has secured life-saving drugs from the Netherlands, intensified fumigation exercises across affected areas, and expanded bed capacity at health facilities to accommodate the growing number of pat
ients.