adminNational Blood Service Zimbabwe (NBSZ) will soon set up a distribution center in Matabeleland North to curtail blood shortages in the province following the closure of its Hwange branch in December last year.
NBSZ chief executive officer Mrs Lucy Marowa said this yesterday during a tour of NBSZ headquarters by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health.
Mrs Marowa said they were facing many challenges in keeping the Hwange clinic as it incurred more expenses than blood units per month.
“We faced some viability challenges and we had no option but to close the branch. However, we are trying to make some arrangements with Hwange Colliery Hospital to mitigate that,” she said.
“We have engaged the Hwange community so that we can find out how we can set up a distribution center at the Colliery or Victoria Falls hospital. The intension is to set up a place where we can simply send blood to and then hospitals can collect blood from there.”
Mrs Marowa said it is of importance that a country meets the required amount of blood as it is not safe to import.
“It is not safe for people to import blood from other countries as blood needs to be screened first hence incurring other expenses,” she said.
The chairperson of Parliamentary Portfolio committee, Dr Ruth Labode, said they were in the process of finding ways to make blood affordable to Zimbabweans as it is currently too expensive. — HR.
Online Reporter