Due to the exorbitant cost of blood in the country, the Minister of Health and Child Care Dr David Parirenyatwa issued the following statement:The high cost of blood and blood products in Zimbabwe has, for a long time now, been a matter of concern for both government and patients.
Currently, the price of blood (packed cells) is $100 for public sector patients and $120 for private sector patients.
These figures are clearly exorbitant and out of reach for most people and especially in this harsh economic environment.
For a start, we have, therefore, instructed National Blood Services of Zimbabwe (NBSZ) to come up with measures through streamlining of the cost drivers, for example, operational and human resources cost to reduce the price for a unit of blood to, at most, $80.
We, therefore, expect to see a reduction in the price of blood to $80 by the 1st of November 2017 without fail.
