Blood banks running low: NBSZ

By The Standard and Newsday | Jan. 18, 2022 | 1 Min read

NBSZ chief executive officer Lucy Marowa appealed for more donations to beef up the blood banks.

BY SHARON BUWERIMWE THE National Blood Services of Zimbabwe (NBSZ) yesterday said the country was running out of stocks for blood group “O”.

NBSZ chief executive officer Lucy Marowa appealed for more donations to beef up the blood banks.

Marowa said half of the people in Zimbabwe, and the majority of people worldwide, have type “O” blood.

She said the COVID-19-induced lockdown coupled with schools closure had reduced citizens’ mobility, hence the blood shortage.

“Most of our blood donations come from schools and tertiary institutions that contribute over 80% to our national blood banks. We are experiencing serious shortages of blood group ‘O’ countrywide, and this has resulted in unnecessary loss of lives for blood group ‘O’ patients,” Marowa said.

“Around 52% of our population is blood group ‘O’. The majority of the patients are also blood group ‘O’ and as a result, it runs out fast. With the depressed collection that we are already experiencing as a country, it’s not surprising that we will be unable to meet our blood group ‘O’ demands,” she said.

Zimbabwe Nurses Association president Enock Dongo said shortage of blood in the country normally occurred during the festive season due to high demand from road traffic accident victims.