THE National Blood Service Zimbabwe (NBSZ), the country’s blood bank has run dry.
By Michael Gwarisa
Speaking during a Webiner Press Conference, NBSZ Public Affairs manger, Ms Esther Massundah told journalists that stocks had drastically been depleted over the knockdown period owing to a myriad of factors chief among them being lack of funding to procure critical consumables.
We are currently running low in terms of our blood stocks. We have got blood stocks that are below the five days, which is the standard requirement of the blood bank to at least have a five days worth of stock.
“So we are currently running low, if we are running low, we are running stocks of below five days which means we are running stocks of about three days and less and our stocks are running below the five days. Our blood bank is running below capacity,” said Ms Massundah.
Blood donors who spoke to HealthTimes said they were due for donating blood and they were receiving notifications from the blood bank to come and donate blood. However, the tightening of the lockdown regulations was making it difficult for them to navigate police check points.
“It’s time for me to donate blood. Should i go? Citizen duties call but i just keep thinking of the police at the road blocks. Its a risky business but we have to assess the situation and try,” said Namatai Kwekweza who recently received an SMS notification from the NBSZ.
Meanwhile, the NBSZ has activated the 2020 World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) campaign which is a global campaign meant to raise awareness around blood donations as well as appreciate voluntary blood donors for freely giving the precious liquid of blood.
The activities are a run-up to World Blood Donor Day on June 14. This year’s theme is Safe Blood Saves Lives” with the slogan Give Blood And Make the World a Healthier Place”.
According to the World Health Organisation, the idea is to focus on the contribution an individual giver can make to improve health for others in the community.
Blood donations are needed all over the world to ensure individuals and communities have access to safe and quality-assured blood and blood products in both normal and emergency situations.
Through the campaign, people from all over the world are called upon to be life-savers by volunteering to donate blood regularly.
“We are mobilising for World Blood Donor Day in terms of resources and funding opportunities for capitalisation,” Massundah said.
