MANY people only realise the importance of blood donation when they are in need of blood transfusion.
Blood is needed to save lives in times of severe anaemia which can arise from bleeding, chronic diseases, poor nutrition, pregnancy issues or even family history.
There are some instances where blood is needed intra-operatively or post-operatively and that is important to reduce table deaths and post-surgical complications.
Patients who undergo extensive surgical operations have a high risk of bleeding, hence the need to cross-match blood units before commencement of such operations.
Many patients then wonder why their surgical operations are cancelled on the premise that there is no blood in the blood banks.
The National Blood Service Zimbabwe (NBSZ) is the sole processor and distributor of blood in the country.
The organisation was established in 1958 as Salisbury Districts Blood Transfusion Service as a not-for-profit company under the Companies Act.
The Bulawayo District Blood Transfusion Service was established two years later.
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NBSZ aims to collect 83 000 units of blood per year, but donations have been failing to reach the target for many years.
About 100 000 packs of blood are transfused annually in the country.
NBSZ has faced blood shortages, with donations in 2020 plummeting by 40% compared to 2019 and units of blood and blood components dropping by 30%.
The period specified above can be understandable considering that COVID-19 was at its peak and schools were not fully operational.
We are in 2025 and blood shortage is still rampant, with many patients forced to wait for weeks or months on end to get a blood transfusion.
There should be strong strategies to encourage more blood donors with donor education, mobile phone donation drives, use of mass media for education and these measures should be continuous to keep donors flowing.
Blood should not be a problem when schools are open as the biggest donors are schoolchildren.
Fear of infectious diseases seems to drive many potential blood donors away as viruses like HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and bacteria like Treponema Pallidum are screened.
NBSZ does its best to make blood and blood products safe for recipients and it is thus prudent for everyone to avoid misinformation and disinformation around issues to do with blood transfusion.
Blood is an important commodity for all of us.
Who knows when one is going to be involved in a serious road traffic accident?
Who knows if one is not going to have a ruptured ectopic pregnancy?
What if one will develop a complicated pregnancy with a placenta previa or abruptio?
What if you get advanced cervical cancer later in life with severe vaginal bleeding?
Many cancers can cause severe anaemia, which can warrant blood transfusion at some point in life and we ought to be positive about donating blood when we are still energetic and able.
I have dealt with some religious sects that do not conform to blood transfusion as the exercise is deemed diabolical in their religion.
Many lives are lost because the affected church members are not permitted to receive blood transfusion because of their religious beliefs.
That is sad, indeed, but no one is forced to receive anything they are against.
Let's all contribute to blood donation, either by donating or encouraging someone close to you to donate.
Blood donation is not meant to benefit others only it is also for your own good.
NBSZ is just behind Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals along Mazowe Street in Harare and Bulawayo NBSZ Static Clinic, corner Leopold Takawira Avenue and Joshua Nkomo Street.
Be counted today as a life-saver!
