THE STANDARD
OPINION
By Editorial | April 8th 2021
Trafficking in human body parts appears to have taken root in Eastern Africa. A report by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on human trafficking in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi has revealed cases of human trafficking for the purpose of harvesting their organs.
Another report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) shows that kidneys are the most trafficked organs in the world and are mainly harvested from the indigent in society.
The promise of good money and a chance to escape poverty in exchange for a kidney is enough to convince many to sell their internal body organs. This is often done illegally in a trade that is estimated to fetch up to Sh130 billion annually.
Coalition of Blood for Africa partners with Kenya to collect blood for mothers
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The Kenya National Blood Transfusion Services (KNBTS) has partnered with the Coalition of Blood for Africa (CoBA) to collect 3000 units of blood. The three-day blood drive will aim to contribute towards treatment of post-partum hemorrhage among Kenyan mothers.
The blood drive campaign dubbed
Keep Mothers Alive, will run in 33 sites across the country from Sunday 7th March to Tuesday 9th March.
According to the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, excessive bleeding after childbirth is the leading cause of maternal deaths in the country. Maternal deaths reportedly account for 34% of all maternal deaths in Kenya. At least 60% of all blood collected in Kenya is required for maternal health services.
THE STANDARD
OPINION
International Women’s Day is a time when we celebrate women; our mothers, wives, sisters, aunties, nieces and colleagues. We celebrate their achievements and act towards improving their lives.
This year we are marking the day under the global theme Choose to challenge’. It aims to capture the need for us all to explore solutions to the challenges that women face.
In reflecting on the healthcare challenges that are specific to women, we are acutely aware that many factors affect women’s access to healthcare, especially during childbirth. We still lose too many women due to preventable causes during pregnancy and child birth. While the global average of maternal mortality is 211 per 100,000, Kenya’s maternal mortality is on average 342 per 100,000.