NBSZ left with two days’ supply of blood

SYDNEY SAIZE IN MUTARE

The National Blood Services Zimbabwe (NBSZ) is at a precarious juncture battling low blood stocks of about two days, a situation which is undesirable, CEO Lucy Marowa has said.

Speaking in Mutare, Marowa said the organisations failed to hold World Blood Donor Day commemorations last month due to “reasons beyond our control”.

“We have a turnout of over a thousand students here at Mutare Boys’ High, drawn from schools around Mutare and we expect to collect about 500 units of blood, which will go towards boosting our blood bank that is currently sitting at about two days’ stock,” Marowa said.

“With at least 500 units going into our stock, our blood bank will go to about three and a half days’ supply and this is going to greatly boost our blood bank which we hope will hit the five days’ supply soon which will give us the much needed relief from the current two days’ supply.”

The NBSZ Manicaland region public relations officer Nick Mparutsa said the belated national event helped to boost blood donation supplies previously jolted by the Covid 19 travel restrictions.

“We are very grateful with the turnout which is so convincing and we continue to appeal to would-be blood donors to come out and give blood. This is always a daily programme since we need blood every day.

“You might be aware that blood inflows from donors had become limited during the period of stringent travel restriction at the height of the Covid 19. This restricted people from moving. However, our blood bank has been boosted by this event,” Mparutsa said.

Blood donor and Anglican Church Reverend Abel Waziweyi dispelled a myth that the donation of blood was Satanic as widely held by certain sections of the society.

“Some people have wrongly associated blood donations with satanism, claiming it is unheard of to have someone’s blood injected into someone else’s body.

“Yes, let them speak but it is out of ignorance. As people who love our brothers and sisters we will continue donating blood,” Reverend Waziweyi said.