HARARE – As Zimbabwe grapples with a deepening public health crisis, characterised by critical shortages of medication and deteriorating facilities, the National Blood Service Zimbabwe (NBSZ) is facing mounting criticism for its pricing model and significant financial surpluses at the expense of the poor.
Critics argue that the organisation, despite its “Not-For-Profit” designation, is generating substantial profits from a life-saving commodity, making it unaffordable for many in a country where the public health system is in disarray.
According to an analysis of NBSZ’s 2023 financial reports by biomedical scientist and software engineer Freeman Chari, the organisation boasts an 80% gross margin on blood units.
This translates to a gross profit of approximately US$200 on a pint charged at US$250, indicating a processing cost of just US$50 per unit. Chari has asserted that this markup is “insane” and puts blood far beyond the reach of the average Zimbabwean.
The 2023 report further reveals that NBSZ recorded a profit/surplus of US$3.5 million, representing 32% of its gross revenue. Chari noted that the significant surplus demonstrated the NBSZ’s capacity to reduce the price of blood by 30% and still maintain a surplus.
“Now in 2023 after paying themselves, keeping the lights on and everything, they made a profit/surplus of US$3.5 million. Which is 32% of their gross revenue. What this means is that, NBSZ has the capacity to cut the price of blood by 30% and still make a surplus.
“They call themselves a Not-For-Profit organization but they are profiteering as an organization from poor people.
“Imagine, they even have the audacity to write in their report that ‘Revenue grew 272% on inflation adjusted basis from the previous year, which is also 1470% in historical terms’.
“My conclusion after reading this report, NBSZ is not there to serve people. Yes, they provide a noble service but they are not doing this for charity or goodness of heart – they are there to suck the blood out of people while lining their coffers,” Chari noted.
Prominent investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono echoed these concerns, stating that charging US$250 for a unit of blood with a processing cost of US$50 is not just a financial issue but a moral one, especially in a country where the public health system is in crisis and citizens struggle with basic living costs.
“This is especially troubling in a country where the public health system is already in crisis and where the average person struggles with basic costs of living.
“Blood is often needed in emergencies, birth complications, accidents, surgeries, and pricing it so aggressively is not just a financial issue, it is a moral one.
“This crookedness is why many regular donors have stopped giving blood, this ought to stop immediately,” Chin’ono stated.
The damning revelations come amidst a stark warning issued two days ago by the Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) regarding the dire state of the nation’s public health system.
ZINA President Enock Dongo described the situation as a “national emergency,” highlighting widespread disrepair in public hospitals and an inability to provide adequate care due to critical shortages of basic medication, equipment, and resources.
The association noted that preventable deaths are occurring due to the absence of fundamental medical supplies, forcing patients to purchase their own drugs.
ZINA’s statement painted a grim picture of public hospitals, citing a lack of blankets as winter approaches, non-functioning X-ray departments, and almost non-existent diagnostic centers. Nurses are reportedly working under “impossible conditions,” improvising daily to save lives.
