MASVINGO – Zimbabwe has run out of blood and all public hospitals are dry, creating a crisis for patients and doctors, The Mirror has confirmed.
National blood levels have for the last few months ran at less than a day’s supply which is a recipe for disaster, said one hospital authority.
“We need blood reserves of 1 600 units every day but currently we run at less than a day’s supply which is 300 units,” said the source.
The blood situation at hospitals is akin to condemning patients to death, added the source.
The crisis is attributed to Government that is not paying National Blood Services Zimbabwe (NBSZ) for blood supplies to public hospitals and this has brought the organisation’s operations to a halt.
Another source said hospitals receive coupons from Government to procure blood but these coupons have not come for many months.
Meanwhile patients with financial means are referred to NBSZ where they buy a pint of blood for US$250. The situation has seriously compromised management of patients, said a medical source.
Ministry of Health and Childcare Permanent Secretary Dr Aspect Maunganidze confirmed the situation through a statement issued by the Public Relations Department.
He urged the public to support blood donations and bemoaned the price of blood at US$250 a pint as it is unaffordable.
“All public hospitals have no blood. Government must treat this situation as a national disaster. Patients in need of blood transfusion are sent away, medical operations are suspended or not done at all.
“The situation is dire for anaemia, cancer patients, pregnant mothers, road traffic accident victims and women with fibroids,” said a medical practitioner who declined to be named.
NBSZ Chief Executive Officer, Lucy Marowa said her organisation is equally worried by the situation and dispelled information going around that blood is now reserved for the rich and the poor are condemned to die.
She confirmed that NBSZ operations are compromised by lack of funding.
“We are not denying blood to the poor. We want to help but stocks are very low. We have no resources to go out in the field to collect blood,” said Marowa.
Although she declined to confirm it, Masvingo Mirror understands NBSZ is failing to pay workers’ salaries, the organisation’s teams last went into the field three weeks ago to collect blood because there is no fuel and even basic items like, coke, mazoe and buns given to blood donors after donating blood.
The organisation is also struggling to pay electricity, buy bond paper, tissue paper and reagents.
Another source said the cost of producing a pint of blood is just US$60 but this shoots to US$250 because of the pricing structure distorted by Government buying the blood in Zig. A lot of things used in the processing of blood and even the packets are imported, said another source
