Zimbabwe’s national blood transfusion service has been crippled by a lack of foreign currency and mobile teams have stopped collecting blood, local reports said on Tuesday.
Mobile blood collecting teams bring in about 70% of Zimbabwe’s national blood stocks, the state-run Herald said.
But the National Blood Services of Zimbabwe (NBSZ) suspended collection by mobile teams on Tuesday, citing shortages of blood bags and test kits purchased with foreign currency, the paper said.
”Despite making representations with the ministry of health and child welfare and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, we have failed to source the foreign currency required,” NBSZ Emmanuel Masvikeni was quoted as saying.
Zimbabwe has been in the throes of a severe foreign currency shortage for several years. The authorities blame Western sanctions, but critics point to a downturn in Zimbabwe’s key foreign-currency generating activities like tourism and agriculture. – Sapa-DPA