BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA
The National Blood Service Zimbabwe (NBSZ) is targeting to collect 600 units of blood during the 2024 World Blood Donor Day celebrations which have been set for next month in the Midlands Province.
Speaking during a press conference on Monday, NBSZ Chief Executive Officer, Lucy Marowa, said this will be the 20th year anniversary since the launch of the World Donor Day.
This year’s celebrations will be held under the theme, “20 years of celebrating giving, thank you blood donors.”
Official day for the World Blood Donor Day is June 14, but Zimbabwe will hold its celebrations on the following day.
“As a country we are celebrating our World Blood Donor Day this year in the Midlands Province. It has been the culture of National Blood Service Zimbabwe that we do our celebrations from province to province.
“In the previous year, we were in Masvingo, then in 2022 we were in Mutare and the year prior to that we were in Matabeleland so we keep rotating our provinces because blood donation is a national programme that’s why we move from province to province.
“So we will be holding our celebrations for 2024 in the Midlands Province and tentatively we have put our venue as Kwekwe High School; all things being equal, we will meet on the Saturday the 15th of June at Kwekwe High School.
“And we are looking at a target of 600 units that we want to collect on that one day,” said Marowa.
She added that the World Blood Donor Day had become a symbol of recognition for the blood donors as they had done their best to make it donor centric, by bringing in blood donors.
“We have a massive blood drive, we do our donor awards and we make sure that it is a day filled with fun and a lot of activities for our blood donors.
“This is to make sure that as we are saying thank you to the blood donors, they really feel that this is a day that has been set aside for them and they take part in a lot of activities that will be happening for them, by them.
“So this is the reason why we are doing this on a Saturday the 15th of June in Kwekwe. The following year it could be a different one, there is no formula that we use to select the provinces.
“We just make sure that wherever the donors are, we actually go to them. So all roads lead to Kwekwe this year in the Midlands Province,” said Marowa.
She further revealed that the day had come about at the 58th World Health Assembly in 2005 where ministers of health from different nations resolved that it is important to recognize the role that voluntary none remunerated blood donors play in the life saving business of the health care.
“Where upon these people (none remunerated blood donors) have taken it upon themselves to give blood free of charge for people that need it in the medical institutions.
“And we all know that voluntary none remunerated blood donations is actually one of the key pillars in the delivery of quality healthcare services.
“There are many forms of blood services that are available. We have what is called family replacement blood donors, we also have what is called paid donors and many other forms that are available.
“But voluntary none remunerated blood donors, which means giving blood without expecting any financial or material gain is considered the safest form of blood model that countries should adopt.
“So in the year 2005, the ministers of health decided that we want to honour the men and women who are giving their blood free of charge, hence the birth of World Blood Donor Day in that particular year. So this year as we celebrate 20 years since the launch of World Blood Donor Day, we are celebrating with a different theme all together.
“This year our theme is actually entitled, “20 years of celebrating giving, thank you blood donors,” added Marowa.
She also revealed that as NBSZ they are calling on corporates and individuals who can partner them so as to make this day a success.
