admin
Nearly half a million pregnancies are expected yearly in Zimbabwe and in a minority there is excessive blood loss, requiring a transfusion of an average of three pints.
A pint of blood costs US$65 in Government institutions and US$50 for mission hospitals, while maternity user fees are pegged at US$150 for normal delivery and US$450 for c-section at Government hospitals. Clinics charge US$25.
“Yes, the European Union has been supporting us and we cannot continue expecting them to support us,” Minister of Health and Child Welfare, Dr Henry Madzorera said yesterday.
He said the Government is going to look into the issue after the expiry of the initiative to see if there are still problems of blood costs for pregnant women.
“If the problem is still there we will look for possible partners to take up the initiative. However, if we had enough money, blood is one thing we would very much want to see given for free because it is an emergency commodity,” said Minister Madzorera.
He, however, said the Health Transition Fund once rolled out is also expected to address problems of accessing blood for pregnant women.
National Blood Services Zimbabwe spokesperson Ms Esther Massundah said come July 1, they will revert to the old system whereby women pay for their blood through hospitals.
“No tangible arrangement has been put in place to replace the financing,” said National Blood Services Zimbabwe spokesperson Ms Esther Massundah.
The blood coupon system was introduced by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in March 2010 after which the European Union took over in January 2011, but the system is coming to an end come June 30.
“Our mandate is to give technical and financial support to the Government on reproductive health issues,” UNFPA reproductive health manager Mr Edwin Mpeta said. Mr Mpeta said on the financial aspect, UNFPA is only able to assist through resource mobilisation efforts and this depends on the amount they would have mobilised. He acknowledged that key barriers to accessing blood for pregnant women were to do with the costs.
“A significant number of women requiring the blood cannot afford, and the coupon system was meant to address exactly that,” said Mr Mpeta. Although no official position was obtained from EU, their financial assistance towards this programme is coming to an end on June 30 2012.
According to the 2007 Zimbabwe Maternal and Perinatal Mortality Study, excessive loss of blood during and after delivery (haemorrhage) is among the leading causes of maternal deaths.
Timely blood transfusion is one way of preventing maternal deaths. The ZMPMS also reveals that bleeding after delivery accounts for about 14,4 percent of the estimated 725 women who died in every 100 000 live births. Zimbabwe’s maternal mortality ratio has since risen from this level to 960 per 100 000 live births (Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey 2010/11).
That is for every 1 000 births in, there are about 10 maternal deaths. Most women especially in rural areas where 70 percent of Zimbabwe’s population is and those with poor backgrounds cannot afford blood.
NBSZ is on record saying the cost of blood is not going to be reduced unless Government fully supports its operations.
The organisation says the cost of collecting and processing a pint of blood is about US$129 yet it is being sold to mission and Government hospitals at US$50 and US$65 respectively.
Online Reporter