KENYA – Damu Sasa System Limited, a Kenyan-based technology firm with focus on the healthcare sector, has partnered with the University of Nairobi on a Research and Development (R&D) Impact Project to improve management of blood services in Kenya.

Damu Sasa System Limited, through its flagship platform Damu-Sasa, facilitates prompt donation appeals during emergencies, ensures real-time observation of blood level fluctuations, improves real-time monitoring and evaluation of the blood situation for proper decision-making.

The Damu-Sasa blood services management system is a cloud-based system that supports blood sourcing, inventory management, transfusion management, hemovigilance, referrals and deferrals in efforts towards reducing the recurrent shortfall in donated blood.

Damu-Sasa platform was developed to modernize the blood service chain via a series of advanced technological features that are currently incorporated in more than 135 healthcare facilities in Kenya for their blood services management.

Recently, the Damu-Sasa blood system confirmed the University of Nairobi as the Public Research Organization for the Research and Development Impact Project which will be financed by the International Development Research Center (IDRC) in Canada through Vilgro- Africa.

The University of Nairobi will undertake the research whose output will help Damu-Sasa advance its technological leadership in the blood management field which will greatly benefit the general public and the Ministry of Health to resolve the issues of blood shortages in the country.

The Ministry of Health will benefit in terms of informing policy on addressing key issues in the blood services in the blood value chain in Kenya and the general public who will benefit in regards to the availability of blood reserves.

The joint Research & Development Impact Project aims to understand the behavioral factors that influence blood donor decisions while promoting the uptake of the Damu-Sasa blood services management technology in local hospitals for effective management of blood transfusion.

In addition, the technology developed by Damu-Sasa seeks to disrupt the blood services in the blood value chain to meet the blood reserves target set by World Health Organization to provide sufficient and timely supplies of safe blood and blood products to meet the transfusion needs of all patients.

Damu-Sasa System Limited Executive Chairman Dr Matunda Nyanchama reaffirmed that the project will inculcate Industry-Academia linkages between the University of Nairobi and Damu-Sasa which is expected to have an impact on all stakeholders through multi-disciplinary collaboration.

Furthermore, the project will also introduce student mentorships as well as help students of the University of Nairobi have industry experience in line with the University’s objectives on research excellence.

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