THE National Blood Services Zimbabwe (NBSZ) yesterday launched a campaign to collect just over 13 000 units of blood between now and January 2024 to make sure there are enough reserves going into the festive season.
The campaign follows fears of blood stocks running low during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays when most road traffic accidents happen.
NBSZ chief executive Lucy Marova encouraged citizens to donate blood to save lives.
“Looking at the year 2023, we are targeting a collection of 13 370 units throughout the country,” Marova said.
“Year in and year out, statistics show that during the festive season the need for blood is heightened due to a lot of accidents that happen not only in the roads but also in our households.
“It is our responsibility to make sure that the nation has adequate stocks of blood during this festive season.”
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Instead of the normal five-day stock, the NBSZ is said to be currently operating below capacity.
Even though the Health ministry still maintains that the free blood initiative is still effective in public hospitals, the situation on the ground speaks to the contrary as patients have to buy a pint of blood for about US$150.