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Blood shortages across the country have forced several hospitals to prioritise life threatening surgeries ahead of non emergency surgical procedures, TechnoMag has learnt.
Major hospitals such as Sally Mugabe Hospital ,Parirenyatwa Hospital and Mpilo hospitals have suspended non life threatening procedures that require blood as the shortages persist.
Parirenyatwa Hospital’s spokesperson Linos Dhire said that the hospital had not stopped any surgical procedures but the acute shortages have forced them to prioritize life threatening procedures.
“Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals has not stopped doing surgical operations although the hospital is currently experiencing some challenges with blood availability. Not all surgical operations require blood.”
“However, the hospital is deferring non-emergency surgical cases which require blood until the blood availability situation improves,”Dhire said.
The National Blood Service Zimbabwe which supplies blood to hospitals in Zimbabwe has been experiencing challenges with blood stocks as the blood clinics were said to be operating below normal supply.
The NBSZ relies on blood donations to supply the hospitals with adequate blood but a decline in blood donations has led to the shortages being experienced in the hospitals.
Many people were infuriated by the situation but Sally Mugabe Hospital Chief Executive Officer Dr Christopher Pasi,said that the situation was beyond their control and there was nothing they could do.
“If the NBSZ says they have got shortages, it also applies to the institutions because that’s the source.
There is no way we can say they have blood and we say we don’t have or vice-versa. The issue is about national blood stocks,” said Dr Pasi.
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