The National Blood Service Zimbabwe (NBSZ) has assured the public it had enough blood for use in emergency situations that might occur during the Heroes’ and Defence Forces holidays next month. NBSZ spokesperson Esther Masundah said:
“We are satisfied with the current stock levels, which are above the maximum threshold. All things being equal, and if the demand pattern remains (constant), we do not anticipate any challenges during the Heroes’ holiday. Even if demand were to surge, we are quite prepared for any eventualities. We have about 3 000 units of blood nationally. The ideal stock we are supposed to have is 1 500-2 000 units at any given time.”
Masundah said: “We get 70% of blood collections from the youth, (16-19) years of age and the balance from adults. Of these collections, 86% of the donations are at mobile clinics and the balance at static clinics. A further 55% of the donations are from male donors and the balance from females. About 15% of total collections are from the Pledge 25 Club.”
She also said her organisation had since embarked on a programme to educate people on the importance of donating blood.
