BULAWAYO – The National Blood Service Zimbabwe (NBSZ) will host this year’s national World Blood Donor Day commemorations in Bulawayo on June 12, bringing forw...
BULAWAYO – The National Blood Service Zimbabwe (NBSZ) will host this year’s national World Blood Donor Day commemorations in Bulawayo on June 12, bringing forward local celebrations by two days to encourage wider public participation.
World Blood Donor Day is globally observed on June 14 each year, but NBSZ said the local event has been scheduled earlier to maximise attendance and engagement in the Matabeleland region.
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Speaking during a media briefing ahead of the commemorations, NBSZ chief executive officer Ms Lucy Marowa said this year’s event will run under the global theme, “One Drop of Humanity: Give Blood, Save Lives.”
She said the theme reflects the impact of voluntary blood donation and the role donors continue to play in supporting healthcare services across the country.
“That single drop, when it is offered freely and multiplied by many, becomes a river of survival – for accident victims, for mothers facing complications in childbirth, for patients living with severe anaemia, for those battling cancer, and for so many others,” said Ms Marowa.
“It tells us that our humanity is not defined by how much we have, but by what we are willing to give of ourselves,” she added.
The commemorations come after NBSZ acquired a Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) machine, which the organisation says will significantly strengthen blood safety screening procedures in Zimbabwe.
The acquisition of the new technology was financed and supported by the Ministry of Health and Child Care together with the National AIDS Council (NAC).
Ms Marowa described the introduction of the NAT system as an important step in modernising blood testing and aligning Zimbabwe’s health systems with international clinical standards.
“The NAT machine brings a more advanced, highly sensitive way of screening donated blood for infections such as HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C,” she said.
“It detects the genetic material of these viruses, dramatically shortening the window period – that vulnerable space between infection and the moment a test can reliably pick it up.”
She said the technology strengthens the country’s ability to provide safer blood supplies for patients who depend on transfusions.
“With this technology, we are aligning ourselves with health systems around the world that put patient safety above all else,” Ms Marowa said.
“Our goal is simple, and it is absolute: to provide the safest possible blood to every mother, every child, every accident victim who entrusts their life to us.”
Despite improvements in testing technology, Ms Marowa stressed that maintaining blood supplies still depends on voluntary donations from members of the public.
She appealed to healthy citizens aged between 16 and 65 to visit blood donation centres across the country and contribute to national reserves ahead of the winter season.
“To the men and women who already donate – our silent heroes – you are the reason many people are alive today,” she said.
“Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. If you are healthy and between the ages of 16 and 65, please walk into any of our blood donation centres. You do not need a special occasion to save a life – you only need a willing heart.”
