Zimbabwe’s major hospitals such as Parirenyatwa Hospital and Sally Mugabe Hospital in Harare, Mpilo in Bulawayo and others around the country have shelved non-emergency surgeries due to acute blood shortages as a result of dwindling blood stocks at the blood bank.
In an Interview with HealthTimes, Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals spokesperson, Linos Dhire said they had resolved to channel blood and blood products towards emergency or life-threatening cases such as maternal emergencies and the casualty division until the blood stocks situation normalises. Said Dhire:
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.
The hospital continues to work closely with the National Blood Service Zimbabwe and rationalise the use of blood products according to national and WHO guidelines.
Non-emergency or elective surgeries are those that one can either plan in advance and do not require emergency attention.
Sally Mugabe Hospital Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr Christopher Pasi told the publication that they cannot be expected to have blood when the NBSZ does not have it. He said:
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.
NBSZ Communications Officer Ephraim Mubayi said even though there have been improvements in terms of donations and stocks, the majority of the blood clinics were still operating below the requisite 5 days normal supply.