Zimbabweans urged to donate blood amid high demand for life-saver

By Caleb Chikwawawa

Zimbabwe on Saturday marked the World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) with a call on citizens to volunteer the life-saving liquid in times of a huge demand for it.

Earlier during the week, the National Blood Service Zimbabwe (NBSZ) partnered the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) in a campaign for citizens to donate blood.

To amplify the call, the collaborating partners held a procession which included NBSZ, ZPCS and blood donors from Africa Unit Square in the Harare city centre to the NBSZ headquarters in Belgravia, on the outskirts of the CBD.

The event was part of the build-up to World Blood Donor Day.

Speaking soon after the procession, Dr Itai Memory Vengesai who is employed by Prisons, said the country’s blood stocks were insufficient to meet the national demand, urging citizens to take June the 14th as a reminder of their responsibility to donate blood to save lives.

“Blood cannot be made in a laboratory or replaced by synthetic products. It can only come from the veins of voluntary donors,” Dr Vengesai said, adding that every 2 seconds, someone somewhere is in dire need of blood or its products.

“With one pint of blood, three lives can be saved. Yet across Zimbabwe, blood shortage remains a persistent challenge with the country’s demand often surpassing its availability.

“This shortage costs lives that could otherwise be saved with adequate blood reserves.

“So June 14th is world blood donor day and serves as a reminder to our shared responsibility to ensure safe blood supplies world wide,” said Vengesai.

Officers and dependants of Zimbabwe’s correctional services are among locals who actively participate in blood donations.

Under Zimbabwean systems, any person who is between the ages 16 and 65 years of age can donate blood.

The annual observance, marked globally on 14 June, is dedicated to raising awareness about the vital role of blood and plasma donations.

This year’s national commemorations were set to be held on at Jameson High School in Kadoma on 14 June under the theme “Give Blood, Give Hope – Together We Save Lives.”

Speaking to journalists at the same event, NBSZ chief executive officer Lucy Marowa denied the country was in crisis after it has been reported that the country was sitting precariously on a three-day stock of blood stock.

“Today we are sitting on a three days stock of blood and blood products because we are coming from the weekend. We are not in a crisis at all. We are coming from the weekend,” Marowa said.

This year, Marowa said on Wednesday, stories from donors and recipients will take centre stage, highlighting the personal impact of giving blood.

The NBSZ is aiming to collect 97,500 units of blood in 2025 and has already reached 73% of that target in the first half of the year.

Last year, the service collected 77,020 units out of a goal of 88,450.

“This year, we’re seeing promising progress, but we need all hands-on deck. Your donation can be the hope someone needs to live,” Marowa said