Del Monte hosts blood donation drive to support the Kenya's blood bank

Murangá based food and beverage processor – Del Monte Kenya limited (DMKL) has organized a 2-day blood donation campaign for its employees, at its headquarters in Murangá County in cooperation with Aga Khan University Hospital, to assist the country in replenishing a drastically depleted blood supply.

The campaign has been necessitated by the country’s perennial shortage of blood and blood products, which has been exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, that has stretched the country’s blood bank to the limit.

“In our ongoing efforts to support the community, we are pleased to partner with Aga Khan University Hospital to host this two-day blood drive and create awareness among our employees on the significance of blood donation,” said Stergios Gkaliamoutsas, Managing Director, Del Monte Kenya.

“We are keenly aware that our success as a company is directly related to the health and welfare of those we work with and the people that we serve,” added Gkaliamoutsas. “We are looking forward to continuing to demonstrate the many ways in which Del Monte Kenya Limited can be a valued, respected, responsible corporate citizen of the Republic of Kenya, its economy, and the wellbeing of all its citizens.”

The Kenya National Blood Transfusion Service (KNBTS) collected a total of 164,000 units of blood in 2018/2019, against a national requirement of 500,000 units. This under performance is attributed to the poor blood donation culture among adult blood donors and in some instances gross lack of awareness among potential blood donors.

According to KNBTS, Blood donation apathy among adult donors has resulted in low collections, while the same adult donors are the highest recipients of blood. There is therefore great need to create a culture of voluntary blood donation through constant engagement with the adult donors through information, education, and communication.