BY KUDAKWASHE TAGWIREYI NATIONAL Blood Service Zimbabwe (NBSZ) will embark on a solar power generation project to keep its blood stocks properly refrigerated after First Capital Bank (FCB) pledged to fund the project to the tune of US$30 000.
“Power outages were affecting preservation of blood stocks in cold facilities and the First Capital Bank support will assist us to preserve blood stocks,” NBSZ board chairperson Rodgers Matsikidze said at the donation hand-over ceremony yesterday.
Health and Child Care deputy minister John Mangwiro said solar power generation projects had been implemented at health institutions, especially in the rural areas to improve coldroom storage.
“As a government, we started adopting solar power generation a long time ago to assist health institutions in districts and provinces. We want the health sector to adopt technologies such as drones to deliver blood supplies in times of emergencies,” Mangwiro said.
FBC managing director Ciaran McSharry said ensuring that the country had adequate blood supplies was good for the economy.
NBSZ blood supply executive Menard Mutenherwa said they were experiencing blood shortages and were left with less than 83 units of blood group O at the Harare blood banks, which was enough for a day’s blood requirements.
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