The
issue
was
raised
in
the
Senate
by
Senator
Prisca
Mupfumira,
who
questioned
why
blood
donated
free
of
charge
by
citizens
is
sold
for
more
than
$200
per
pint
by
the
National
Blood
Transfusion
Services
(NBTS).
She
asked
what
measures
were
being
put
in
place
to
ease
the
burden
on
patients
and
whether
services
could
be
decentralised
so
that
blood
is
more
accessible
in
provinces
outside
Harare.
She
also
noted
that
the
NBTS
is
not
a
government-owned
entity.
Responding
on
behalf
of
the
Ministry
of
Health
and
Child
Care,
Deputy
Minister
Sleiman
Kwidini
acknowledged
that
the
existing
pricing
structure
was
too
high
for
many
Zimbabweans.
“The
price
marked
by
the
National
Blood
Transfusion
Service
is
very
high,”
he
said,
adding
that
the
government
had
set
up
an
audit
team
to
examine
the
cost
structure.
Kwidini
said
the
review
had
resulted
in
a
proposed
price
of
$80
per
pint.
He
said
pilot
blood
processing
was
already
under
way
at
Parirenyatwa
Group
of
Hospitals,
where
relatives
of
patients
can
donate
blood
which
is
then
processed
on
site.
However,
he
described
the
current
capacity
as
limited.
The
government,
he
added,
intends
to
establish
its
own
larger-scale
blood
processing
facilities
in
order
to
reduce
reliance
on
the
NBTS.
“What
we
are
looking
forward
to
as
a
ministry
and
government
is
to
venture
into
what
is
being
done
by
the
National
Blood
Transfusion
Service,”
he
said,
describing
the
organisation
as
an
NGO.
He
said
the
state’s
involvement
would
complement
the
existing
system.
Kwidini
said
technical
teams
were
assessing
the
resources
required
to
expand
processing
capacity
and
decentralise
services
to
provincial
hospitals.
Currently,
blood
collected
nationwide
by
the
NBTS
is
processed
in
Harare.
The
government
has
not
indicated
when
the
expanded
services
would
be
rolled
out
or
how
they
would
be
funded.