BY STEPHEN CHADENGA
Blood stocks in the Midlands province have dropped to critical levels due to COVID-19-induced lockdowns, with students, who are the main blood donors, not able to visit the collection centres, an official has said.
According to statistics 70% of blood donors in the province are schoolchildren.
National Blood Services Zimbabwe (NBSZ) Midlands provincial spokesperson Aggrey Ngazana said the blood transfusion organisation was supplying patients on an emergency basis.
“Blood donation in the province was affected by the lockdown which has seen the closure of schools,” Ngazana said.
“Most of our blood donors are schoolchildren and as a result of travel restrictions and closure of schools, we can’t access them.
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“Because of this, we are only supplying patients on an emergency basis.”
He added: “The situation has also been worsened by floods that hit parts of the province and in particular the Midlands capital.”
Ngazana said the floods had made it difficult to pitch tents in areas the organisation used to collect blood.
He, however, did not divulge the amount of blood left in the provincial blood banks.
“Next week we will be in Zvishavane as we start the mobilisation process to collect blood,” he said.