A volunteer donating blood during the blood donation exercise at the Sharrif's centre grounds in Bungoma 

The blood donation public process in Bungoma County kicked off officially on Wednesday at the Shariffs centre gardens.

The exercise was organized by the Bungoma District Hospital in conjunction with the Kenya Red Cross and will be a two day exercise.

This was a public blood donation exercise that will be done all over the country during this month of August on different dates in different places of the country according to Mrs. Imelda Wafula a doctor at Bungoma District Hospital.

The main aim of the event is to donate blood from Kenyans to ensure there is enough blood in the blood bank to cater for the many cases of blood transfusion required on patients in hospitals not only from Bungoma region but the entire republic of Kenya.

Speaking while opening the event, doctor Ivyonne Wekesa congratulated and acknowledged media houses from the region for the continual support they have accorded them in encouraging a healthy lifestyle to Kenyans.

She urged the media to inform people the significance of blood donation by having health programs in their programming for educating and informing by inviting medical practitioners to talk about health issues.

Doctor Wekesa said there are educational lessons given before blood donation that enables only those in the position of donating blood to be the ones who donate and the ones with health disadvantages to think otherwise rather than donating and falling sick later.

She went on to explain that the blood donated is of much significant to patients especially the victims of road accidents, leukemia and sickle cell anemia diseases who are in hospitals and have insufficient blood and need additional blood to save their lives.

Miss Wekesa assured residents that donating does not mean that the body immune system will became weak but it helps fresh blood to circulate in the body saying that the blood will be manufactured by body cells and the person will be able to do their duties as normal.

Wekesa also confirmed to the residents that blood donation does not mean HIV/ AIDS test exercise as many of the people perceive, furthermore she urged people to go for HIV/ AIDS testing to know their status so as to live healthy.

Those who participated in the exercise by donating blood were congratulated for their support because their blood will help millions of Kenyans who are loosing their life everyday in hospitals because they lack enough blood.

Miss Wekesa encouraged individuals to be always going at the Bungoma District Hospital and donate blood any time they feel like saying that it is open to any person who qualifies and that it is a continual process at the hospital and people should not be waiting for such organized blood donation days only to donate.