By Michael Gwarisa
HEALTH and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa has ordered the National Blood Blood Services of Zimbabwe (NBSZ) to reduce the price of blood to US$80 effective November, 1 2017.
Due to the exorbitant cost of blood in the country, the Minister of Health and Child Care Dr David Parirenyatwa said, “The high cost of blood and blood products in Zimbabwe has, for a long time now, been a matter of concern for both government and patients. For a start, we have, therefore, instructed National Blood Services of Zimbabwe (NBSZ) to come up with measures through streamlining of the cost drivers, for example, operational and human resources cost to reduce the price for a unit of blood to, at most, $80.
“Currently, the price of blood (packed cells) is $100 for public sector patients and $120 for private sector patients.
These figures are clearly exorbitant and out of reach for most people and especially in this harsh economic environment. We, therefore, expect to see a reduction in the price of blood to $80 by the 1st of November 2017 without fail,”
