Amref Health Africa and technology solutions firm Advanced IT Solutions (AISL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to scale up blood availability in hospitals through a Blood Services Information Management System dubbed Damu Sasa

The solution is an innovation that came out of the Presidential Digital Talent Programme (PDTP) launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2015.

Damu – Sasa was developed to maintain up to date information in the blood services value chain. This includes maintaining an accurate donor databank through which timely donation appeals can be made during emergencies, ensuring real-time observation of blood level fluctuations and improving their real-time reporting.

In addition, through information sharing, Damu – Sasa enables collaboration among players in the blood services ecosystem thus making blood services management more efficient and effective.

Through this partnership, that will help advance the universal health coverage agenda through access to blood supply, Amref Health Africa will provide support to AISL through marketing the technology solution, development of health-related content, promote associated advocacy and offer other technical support. AISL in turn will focus on rolling out the Damu – Sasa solution, supporting clients and enhancing the solution.

Amref Health Africa’s Programme Director for Health Systems Strengthening, Dr Elizabeth Wala said that most hospitals do not have enough blood in their banks and many people die while waiting to receive blood. The situation can be calamitous in case of accidents and other emergencies. She added that the technology would improve the situation through ensuring blood banks have accurate data that would improve effective use of blood as well as help with targeted donor appeals.

“Sourcing, distribution and management of blood services presents various challenges in the country such as unforeseen blood shortfalls; ad-hoc blood appeals during emergencies; limited real-time reporting; limited real-time blood traceability and hampered collaboration between transfusing facilities. This partnership will make use of a home-grown and innovative solution that will ensure that patients have a chance of accessing blood in times of need,” said Dr Wala.

The Damu – Sasa solution has already been successfully piloted at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) over a period of nine months which was commenced in May 2017. The feedback from users have been very positive with the wish to have the system deployed in the hospital and adopted by others in the blood services ecosystem.

AISL Director, Mr Ochieng’ Ogunde said that in most cases, the management of blood services presents a number of challenges to health establishments and that this can be improved through a proper tracking system that captures up to date information.

According to Kenya National Blood Transfusion Services (KNBTS), Kenya needs an estimated  400,000 units of blood annually to cater for various medical needs yet it currently records a shortfall of about 250,000 units every year. As the nation seeks to attain universal health coverage for all citizens by 2022, there is a great need to incorporate technology to catalyse this process. One such area is in management of blood services where demonstrated technology assures improvement in the efficiency, safety and effectiveness of blood services management.

Damu Sasa System Limited has entered into an agreement with the University of Nairobi to conduct research on blood services management and technology in Kenya.

The study, which is funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada with Villgro Africa as the administering agency, will focus on understanding the blood services ecosystem in Kenya, ways in which blood donations can be enhanced, and how technology can be utilized to improve the situation.

According to the WHO, Kenya needs close to one million units of blood every year. However, this target is rarely achieved, with the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Service (KNBTS) collecting approximately 30% of the optimal target.

“The perennial problem calls for a systematic approach to understanding the dimensions of the causes of the poor response to donations,” said Dr Matunda Nyanchama, the Damu Sasa Executive Chairman. “Only then can there be an optimal solution to alleviate things in the current situation,” he added.

The study is expected to benefit the healthcare industry with insights that could lead to innovative practices to boost blood donations and entrench a sustainable donation culture. It will be carried in 47 counties, and target public, private and mission-managed healthcare transfusion facilities, as well as the Kenyan public.

The project underlines the IDRC’s commitment to supporting projects that have high impact potential on the lives of the people. On their part, Villgro Africa is committed to assisting start-ups whose work has high potential to benefit society in the continent and the rest of the world. In the past, Villgro Africa has supported Damu Sasa to build technology capabilities that enabled blood donations to continue even in the face of the COVID-19 Pandemic, specifically the physical distance requirements.

Speaking at the project inauguration, University of Nairobi’s Prof. Julius A. Ogeng'o, Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of academic affairs said, “there is a need for elevated collaboration between academic institutions and industry.” He added that the University of Nairobi, a regional leader in research and teaching, “has adequate and fully-qualified resources to support initiatives such as this one.” He took note of the multi-disciplinary composition of the team, saying that most problems in society today need such an approach of diverse expertise and experience.

Prof. Ogeng’o, a medical doctor with long experience in practice and academia, underlined the importance of the initiative and the potential it has to provide solutions aimed at saving lives.  

Prof. Vincent Machuki, of the School of Business and Management Science, the principal investigator, affirmed the research team’s commitment to ensure the project meets its objectives. He expressed confidence that the outcomes will be a major contribution that could shape both the needed healthcare solution but also provide technology and business insights into a critical aspect of healthcare in the country.

Present at the event were the two Damu Sasa co-founders, Aaron Ogunde and Francis Kilemi, Amadi Growman of Villgro Africa, and members of the research team, Dr. Ken Ogolla (School of Business and Management Science) and Dr. Khamati Shilabukha (Research Fellow at the Institute of Anthropology, Gender and African Studies). Other members of the team include Dr. Kibet Shikuku, a haematologist at the School of Health Sciences and Prof. Evans Aosa of the School of Business and Management Science.

It is said that it is better to give than it is to receive, and what better way to give back to society than by donating blood to save lives! This year, the plight of the patients in the hospitals fell on willing ears. The activity was part of this year's Blood Drive and was held in two phases (as was done last year). The first phase was done on Friday 29th of April 2022, at the Egerton University main campus in Njoro, while the second phase was conducted on the 30th of April 2022 at the Nakuru Town campus, in Milimani.

 The planning of the drive was collaborative. The team from Egerton University, led by the President of the Egerton University Medical Students Association (EUMEDSA), Victor Makumi, engaged the student fraternity and the community at large on donations. This was enhanced by the digital Damu Sasa application, with assistance from Damu Sasa staff, Sidney Aurah and Danice Njeri, on the booking and mobilization of student donors. The team that conducted the bleeding on both days was drawn from the Donor Unit of the Nakuru Level 6 Hospital. It comprised Patrick Njuguna, Nicholas Tuitoek, and Christine Were, under the leadership of the medical superintendent, Dr. Aisha Maina. Further, goodwill from the Kenya Red Cross Society Nakuru and the Kenya Medical Association Nakuru chapter better enabled the facilitation of the activity.

 On the first day of the Blood Drive, 110 units of blood were collected, while the second day saw 43 units collected. The turnout exceeded our expectations! This was in part made possible by the volunteers who were relentless, in mobilizing potential blood donors. Although a few of the donors admitted to being scared of the whole bleeding process, their fears were allayed and their questions were answered, on what it takes to donate, and the safety precautions involved.

 Attached here are some of the commonly asked questions:

•  Who can donate blood?

 If you are between 18 and 60 years of age;

In good health;

Weigh at least 50kg for males or 45kg for females; and,

With good blood pressure.

• Before donating blood, make sure you:

Drink enough water;

Get enough rest;

Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol;

Avoid heavy physical activity;

Eat enough food rich in iron and protein;

•  How long does it take to replenish the donated blood?

The human body replenishes the blood volume within 24 hours. Red blood cells are replenished within 3 to 4 weeks, and the lost iron in 6 to 8 weeks.

• How often can you donate blood?

Each person can donate regularly. Men can donate every three months and women every four months.;

You, too, could save someone's life by donating blood! Indeed, you are someone's type!

The Kenya Girl Guides Association (KGGA) and Damu Sasa System Ltd (DSL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work towards boosting blood donations in the country. This initiative is part of the grand Centenary celebrations of the oldest and largest women only organization in Kenya.

Moved by the ever-growing and perpetual gap between actual and target donations, the two organizations will combine efforts towards reducing the recurrent shortfall in donated blood.

The partnership comes at a time when the country is facing a blood shortage crisis, occasioned in part by a weak blood donation culture – a situation further exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Service (KNBTS) collected only 16% of the 1 million units the country needed.

The MOU envisions KGGA leveraging its membership that spans more than 10,000 institutions of learning and over 300,000 individuals, its community influence and goodwill, in the realization of the objectives of the MOU.

On its part, DSL will leverage its goodwill with potential corporate partners, healthcare transfusing facilities and the registered donors to actualize the intent of the MOU. In addition, DSL will provide its Damu-Sasa blood services management platform to enhance the efficiency with which donations are made.

The joint efforts will be three-pronged: raising awareness regarding the need for blood among potential donors, co-opting other entities (especially corporate organizations) into the efforts and helping conduct blood donation drives.

The parties believe that raising awareness can lead to more Kenyans (individual and corporate) registering as donors and donating blood regularly. Awareness will constitute communication of factual information on the status of blood donations and the impact this has on lives of those that depend on donated blood, in addition to the overall (individual and society) benefits of donating blood.

As well, the parties realize the magnitude of the challenge and hence seek other partnerships towards the efforts. Corporate entities and health facilities participating in the joint efforts will commit towards raising awareness and championing blood donation drives with their stakeholders.

Working with others, the parties will jointly plan and conduct blood donation drives through spirited efforts towards donor registration, scheduling and actual donations.

“This effort is consistent with the spirit of the Kenya Girl Guide movement of volunteerism and nurture. It is also opportune, considering it is happening as we celebrate one hundred years ofexistence in Kenya,” Priscilla Gathiga, the National Executive Officer said. “Signing this MOU is part of our efforts to affirm the Guide Law:  ‘ A Guide will do a good turn every day’ by giving back to the society in which we have existed and thrived for the last century,” she added.

Speaking at the event, DSL’s co-founder Kilemi Thambura said that, “while the Damu-Sasa technology would enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of blood services management, partnerships such as this with KGGA enhance the efforts towards solving the blood shortage challenge in the country. “No single entity, be it governmental or non-governmental, can solve the problem alone,” adding that, “if you want to go fast, go alone but to go far one needs others, as the Chinese saying goes.”

  -End-

 About the Kenya Girl Guides Association

Kenya Girl Guides Association (KGGA) is one of the largest organizations in Kenya for girls and young women. KGGA, which has been active in Kenya since 1920, is a multi-racial, multi-religious, non- political and non-profit-making organization.

KGGA delivers high quality non-formal educational programmes that provide girls and young women with dynamic, flexible and value-based training in life skills, playing a unique role in creating a world where girls and young women are valued and empowered to take action to change the world.

About Damu Sasa System Limited

DSL is a Kenyan-based technology firm with focus on the healthcare sector. DSLs’ flagship platform, Damu-Sasa was developed to modernize the blood service chain via a series of features such as maintaining an accurate donor database that allows prompt donation appeals during emergencies, ensuring real-time observation of blood level fluctuations, improving real-time monitoring and evaluation of the blood situation and providing reporting (real-time and otherwise) reports that aid decision-making.

Presently, more than 135 healthcare facilities in Kenya use the platform for their blood services management.

Two weeks ago, Damu Sasa was invited to a blood donation drive that was organized by Egerton University Medical Students Association (EUMEDSA). We were privileged to participate in the drive alongside the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Services (KNBTS), the Kenya Red Cross (KRCS), the Standard Group PLC, and the Egerton University fraternity.

The 2-day blood donation drive managed to show a substantial turnout in which 163 units of blood were donated while 181 people were registered as potential donors, who can be called upon in the future.

The Damu Sasa team is grateful for the invitation to participate in the event. The efforts shown by the various other teams demonstrated generosity, selflessness, and dedication to helping others. Above all, the real winners are the patients in need of the donated blood.

The Damu Sasa team encourages continued collaboration in future drives as a way of contributing towards easing the shortage of blood in the country. Apart from blood drives, the Damu Sasa technology supports blood services management in facilities, including complementary functionalities that ease the sourcing of blood for those who use the technology.

We look forward to continued collaboration and support in this noble endeavor to make a difference in the blood services ecosystem and save lives.

The Pandemic Resilience Accelerator for African Health-Related Businesses was founded by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), a pan-African institution at the forefront of policy harmonization, in partnership with JICA, the official development assistance agency of the Government of Japan, and with support from Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a global management consulting firm.

The initiative aims to accelerate African home-grown solutions that are improving pandemic resilience. It provides hands-on, tailored acceleration support to growth and mature stage African health-related businesses that are improving healthcare capacity or reducing reliance on external medical supply chains.

The accelerator is launching as a pilot in the East African Community, following a call for applications in December 2020. Five companies have been selected from a highly competitive applicant pool and after a rigorous assessment process.

Access Afya Inc.: Provider of low cost, primary health care to people living in informal settlements & remote areas of Kenya. https://www.accessafya.com

Africa Healthcare Network: Provider of affordable high-quality renal care services to typically underserved areas / secondary cities of Tanzania, Kenya & Rwanda. http://www.africahealthcarenetwork.com

 Damu Sasa Systems Limited: Cloud-based end-to-end blood services information management system to increase and manage blood supply in Kenya. https://damu-sasa.co.ke

Mobile Scan Solutions Uganda: Developer of low-cost hand-held ultrasound units to diagnose pregnancy complications in low resource settings in Uganda. https://www.mscanug.com

Revital Healthcare (EPZ) Limited: Manufacturer of over 40 types of medical devices in Kenya which are distributed to Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi & 12 other countries. https://www.revitalhcare.com

These five home-grown companies contribute meaningfully to pandemic resilience, both in the immediate COVID-19 crisis and in their longer term strengthening of healthcare capacity and local supply chains. They constitute the inaugural cohort for this accelerator and will receive support over the six-month pilot programme.

Based on the outcomes of the pilot programme in the East African Community, the accelerator aims to expand to other parts of Africa later this year, with the ultimate goal of improving our continent's ability to respond to future outbreaks through home-grown solutions.

Organizations interested in joining the accelerator network as well as engaging with these exemplary companies by serving as advisors or providing direct support, or qualifying African home-grown solutions, can contact us by reaching out to George Murumba, the accelerator project lead via GeorgeM@nepad.org and pandemicresilience.africa@gmail.com.

Blood donors in Turkana County will now have an opportunity to receive end to end information alerts in respect to their donations by use of a new technology.

Health and Sanitation CEC Jane Ajele today in partnership with the Damu System Limited (DSL) today unveiled a new system that manages an ICT platform for blood information management called Damu Sasa.

The innovation, a product of the Presidential DigiTalent Programme under the Ministry of ICT and Youth Affairs, was first piloted at the Kenyatta National Hospital and has been operational in Kenya in the last two years.

CEC Ajele said that the platform will play a significant role in eliminating doubts among blood donors concerning the whereabouts of their blood donation as has been reported in various occasions before.

Ajele noted that the innovation is set to revolutionize mobilization for blood donations and mapping of donors for targeted drives owing to the fact that it operates on a mobile phone App that creates a lasting relationship between the donors and transfusing facilities.

Additionally, Ajele said that the App comes at a time when the county is constrained with blood supplies and little information on blood donors.

Speaking on the same, Dr. Gilchrist Lokoel the County Director for Medical Services said that the App will contribute towards a lasting solution to the problems created by persons who take advantage of the acute blood shortage in the county to peddle unconfirmed rumours and malice.

While appreciating the 75 people who had been registered to the platform at the LCRH during the most recent blood donation drive, Dr. Lokoel called upon residents to embrace the innovation by registering in big numbers.

He added that the more people that use the platform the higher the chance of running success blood donation drives.

Samuel Kapengi, Head of the blood transfusion services in Turkana, said that all willing donors will also be requested to register on the platform which had the advantage of placing the blood donations information on the national grid for use by all hospitals in saving people from life threatening medical conditions.

Speaking on behalf of DSL, one of the co-founders of the platform Francis Kilemi thanked the County Government of Turkana for embracing the Damu-Sasa technology, adding that the platform was built with a view to saving lives through ensuring that blood was available when and where it was needed.

Mr. Kilemi expressed optimism that more counties will follow the example of Turkana County in meeting their own blood transfusion needs while at the same time serving the nationwide needs of patients across the country.

Villgro Africa has awarded $20,000 to Damu Sasa System Limited (DSL), which runs an innovative end-to-end blood services information management platform (Damu-Sasa), to enable them to enhance their contributions to mitigating the spread of COVID-19. 

Damu-Sasa works across the entire blood ecosystem by helping hospitals source blood from donors and from each other while also supporting screening, preparation of blood products and inventory and transfusions management. The Damu-Sasa system also helps mobilize donors, tracks their donations while giving them digital access to their donation history. The DSL team works with hospitals and other multi-sectoral partners to increase voluntary donations from across the population, with the goal of delivering sufficient supply of safe blood while improving tracking and reporting of utilization countrywide. 

During 2020, Damu-Sasa has grown in presence from one hospital in one city to 132 hospitals across the country. The system has facilitated over 9,000 transfusions and has over 72,000 registered donors on their platform. The DSL team looks to significantly grow this number through increasing Damu-Sasa presence in healthcare facilities as well as through their newly launched Damu Sasa android app, currently available on Google Playstore. 

During COVID-19 the DSL team has provided online booking for blood donation appointments, personalized booking links for each hospital, evidence based educational articles, blood screening tracking capacity for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, and mobile text reminders of safe practices to blood donors.

“Villgro Africa is thrilled to support the work of the DSL team, they are a young and vibrant company who are committed to solving this real challenge. Working alongside Innovative Canadians for Change (ICChange), we look forward to being a part of their efforts in managing safe and efficient blood donations in Kenya, and doing so using a sustainable model.”  says Rob Beyer, Cofounder & Executive Chair of Villgro Africa

In addition to the grant, Villgro Africa will offer technical assistance to enable the team to enhance their capacity with respect to COVID-19 blood management related capabilities while also supporting ongoing fundraising efforts. 

According to Dr. Matunda Nyanchama, Chairman of DSL, “At Damu-Sasa, we are really excited with this partnership because it will help us address key concerns occasioned by the pandemic, improve potential blood donor numbers and hence help alleviate, to the degree possible, the perennial blood shortages.”

The Damu Sasa system enhances efficiency and effectiveness of the blood ecosystem, helps minimize waste and enhances blood availability, thereby leading to lives saved and improved health outcomes.

The CS, Joe Mucheru, EGH, publicly recognized and appreciated Damu Sasa at the Connected Kenya Summit event, held at the Bomas of Kenya in October 2018. The annual Connected Kenya Summit is currently the only platform that brings over 500 ICT thought leaders and experts under one roof.

The CS noted that Damu Sasa had been successfully piloted at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), and was now in partnership with Amref Health Africa, in a bid to scale up the availability of blood supply in the country.

Amref Health Africa and technology solutions firm Advanced IT Solutions (AISL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to scale up blood availability in hospitals through a Blood Services Information Management System dubbed Damu Sasa

The solution is an innovation that came out of the Presidential Digital Talent Programme (PDTP) launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2015.

Damu – Sasa was developed to maintain up to date information in the blood services value chain. This includes maintaining an accurate donor databank through which timely donation appeals can be made during emergencies, ensuring real-time observation of blood level fluctuations and improving their real-time reporting.

In addition, through information sharing, Damu – Sasa enables collaboration among players in the blood services ecosystem thus making blood services management more efficient and effective.

Through this partnership, that will help advance the universal health coverage agenda through access to blood supply, Amref Health Africa will provide support to AISL through marketing the technology solution, development of health-related content, promote associated advocacy and offer other technical support. AISL in turn will focus on rolling out the Damu – Sasa solution, supporting clients and enhancing the solution.

Amref Health Africa’s Programme Director for Health Systems Strengthening, Dr Elizabeth Wala said that most hospitals do not have enough blood in their banks and many people die while waiting to receive blood. The situation can be calamitous in case of accidents and other emergencies. She added that the technology would improve the situation through ensuring blood banks have accurate data that would improve effective use of blood as well as help with targeted donor appeals.

“Sourcing, distribution and management of blood services presents various challenges in the country such as unforeseen blood shortfalls; ad-hoc blood appeals during emergencies; limited real-time reporting; limited real-time blood traceability and hampered collaboration between transfusing facilities. This partnership will make use of a home-grown and innovative solution that will ensure that patients have a chance of accessing blood in times of need,” said Dr Wala.

The Damu – Sasa solution has already been successfully piloted at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) over a period of nine months which was commenced in May 2017. The feedback from users have been very positive with the wish to have the system deployed in the hospital and adopted by others in the blood services ecosystem.

AISL Director, Mr Ochieng’ Ogunde said that in most cases, the management of blood services presents a number of challenges to health establishments and that this can be improved through a proper tracking system that captures up to date information.

According to Kenya National Blood Transfusion Services (KNBTS), Kenya needs an estimated  400,000 units of blood annually to cater for various medical needs yet it currently records a shortfall of about 250,000 units every year. As the nation seeks to attain universal health coverage for all citizens by 2022, there is a great need to incorporate technology to catalyse this process. One such area is in management of blood services where demonstrated technology assures improvement in the efficiency, safety and effectiveness of blood services management.