HARARE
–
The
National
Blood
Services
of
Zimbabwe
(NBSZ)
has
launched
a
strident
defence
against
public
criticism
over
the
high
cost
of
blood.
Ahead
of
World
Blood
Donor
Day
on
June
14,
Zimbabweans
on
social
media
have
been
debating
the
cost
of
a
pint
of
blood
which
at
some
private
institutions
can
go
up
to
US$1,000.
NBSZ
says
it
makes
just
US$5
in
profit
for
every
pint
of
blood
sold,
whose
current
price
is
capped
at
US$250.
The
country’s
blood
bank
insists
that
it
provides
public
hospitals
with
blood
for
free
as
the
government
picks
up
the
tab.
“We
operate
on
a
cost
recovery
basis,
meaning
that
we
recover
exactly
what
it
costs
us
to
collect,
process
and
distribute
the
blood.
That
entire
chain
is
made
up
of
activities
whose
cumulative
cost
is
currently
US$245,
thus
we
charge
US$250
to
cater
for
normal
process
losses,”
NBSZ
said
in
response
to
questions
from
ZimLive.
Social
activist
Freeman
Chari
argues
that
a
pint
of
blood
should
not
cost
more
than
$100.
He
wrote
on
X:
“As
a
person
with
a
bit
of
knowledge
on
how
blood
banks
work,
the
most
expensive
thing
is
the
pack,
which
averages
about
$40-$50
if
bought
in
bulk.
“The
screening
and
separation
process
doesn’t
cost
more
than
$20.
If
you
add
labour,
collection
and
storage
costs
of
$20
per
pint
maximum
cost
would
be
$90.
“The
total
cost
of
processing
blood
if
done
efficiently
is
below
$100.
In
fact
Lucy
Marowa,
the
current
CEO
of
NBSZ
said
in
2019
it
was
$120.
Why
would
they
add
a
100
percent
markup
for
a
national
service?
Zimbabwe
needs
only
100,000
units
per
year.
Which
is
just
$10
million.
A
government
for
the
people
can
subsidise
that.
That’s
what
governments
do.”
Vicky
Maponga,
a
spokesperson
for
NBSZ,
maintains
that
they
only
make
a
small
profit
from
blood
sales
to
keep
the
service
running.
She
explained:
“While
blood
is
generously
donated
by
individuals,
it’s
important
to
note
that
once
blood
is
donated
it
does
not
go
directly
and
immediately
for
transfusion.
Ensuring
its
safety
and
availability
for
transfusion
requires
significant
resources.
“When
we
receive
blood
from
donors
we
can
only
quantify
it
after
all
the
necessary
tests
to
make
it
safe
for
transfusion.
Blood
undergoes
rigorous
testing,
component
separation,
storage
and
then
distribution.
All
these
processes
are
supposed
to
adhere
to
international
standards.
“The
value
chain
involved
in
getting
it
from
vein
to
vein
is
what
costs
money.
Since
2018,
the
government
committed
to
providing
free
blood
to
all
patients
in
public
hospitals,
so
blood
products
are
free
in
all
public
health
institutions
because
the
government
meets
the
full
cost
by
paying
NBSZ
directly
for
each
unit
utilised.
“For
private
patients,
the
cost
remains
the
same
($250),
but
the
cost
is
borne
by
the
individual.”
NBSZ
CEO
Lucy
Marowa
said
they
were
collecting
record
levels
of
blood
donations.
She
said
NBSZ
is
expecting
to
collect
97,500
units
of
blood
this
year
owing
to
increased
awareness
and
successful
campaigns.
“Just
to
give
you
a
snippet
of
how
successful
the
blood
donation
programme
has
been,
this
year
we
are
targeting
to
collect
97,500
units
of
blood.
So
far,
just
for
the
first
half
of
this
year,
we
have
actually
achieved
about
73
percent
of
the
target,
so
we
are
well
on
track,”
she
told
a
news
conference
in
Harare
on
Monday.
Last
year,
NBSZ
collected
82
percent
of
the
targeted
volume
of
blood.
“The
2025
target
is
actually
a
scale
up
from
last
year’s
target
where
we
wanted
to
collect
88,450
units.
From
that
target
of
last
year,
we
managed
to
collect
82
percent,
which
was
77,020
units,”
Marowa
said.
The
World
Blood
Donor
Day
commemorations
slated
for
Kadoma
are
an
opportunity
to
increase
awareness
on
blood
donations,
she
said.
“We
are
hoping
that
this
will
inspire
both
the
school-going
donors
and
the
adults
from
that
community
to
become
regular
blood
donors.
We
are
still
calling
upon
Zimbabweans
to
come
in
and
continue
to
give
blood
because
it
comes
in
and
it
goes
out
on
a
daily
basis,”
she
added.