The Sunday Mail
The National Blood Service Zimbabwe (NBSZ) and its chief executive officer, Ms Lucy Marowa, received recognition at the Zimbabwe National Business and Leadership Awards ceremony held at a local hotel on May 24.
The glamorous event was hosted by the Zimbabwe Business Council.
Ms Marowa was honoured with the CEO of the Year National Award for special recognition in Health Services Leadership Excellence while NBSZ was honoured with the Organisation of the Year National Award.
The awards are a great achievement for the organisation as it works towards repositioning itself as a Superbrand.
It took dedication, loyalty and teamwork under the sound leadership of Ms Marowa and full support of the NBSZ board, led by Advocate Rodgers Matsikidze.
The year 2019 is an exciting year for NBSZ as the organisation has set to collect a record target of 108 400 units of blood. This is the first time in the history of NBSZ for the organisation to aim for such an ambitious target.
Looking at the statistics from the beginning of the year so far, NBSZ is on course to meeting its target. Ms Marowa’s philosophy or strategy to achieve success is that her absence should never affect operations or hinder any progress.
“When the system runs smoothly, even in your absence, then count that as a major success. Empowered subordinates are key to the continuity of the organisation. Hence I harness a strong philosophy of empowering and capacitating all my subordinates to perform even better than me.
“I am not scared or afraid of competition from my juniors. I am actually proud to see them excel under my influence. Empowered subordinates push me beyond my boundaries and thus achieve even greater things. When I eventually leave the organization, there will not be a vacuum but a pool of resourceful personnel to choose from,” she said.
Having joined NBSZ in 2003, which is 15 years of loyalty and dedication, Ms Marowa rose through the ranks, starting off as a medical laboratory scientist in the Components Preparation Department before moving to the Safety Health Environment and Quality Department as an officer. She was eventually promoted to be the manager of the department. After the retirement of Mr David Mvere at the end of 2014, Ms Marowa was promoted to the position of CEO.
In a few weeks, NBSZ joins other countries in commemorating World Blood Donor Day.
The commemorations serve to thank voluntary blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood. They also seek to raise awareness of the need for regular blood donations to ensure that all individuals and communities have access to affordable and timely supplies of safe and quality-assured blood and blood products, as an integral part of universal health coverage and a key component of effective health systems.
In May 2005, during the 58th World Health Assembly, Ministers of Health from across the world made a unanimous declaration of commitment and support towards voluntary blood donation. Through resolution WHA58.13, they designated World Blood Donor Day as an annual event to be held each year on June 14.
The theme for this year’s campaign is blood donation and universal access to safe blood transfusion, as a component of achieving universal health coverage. The slogan “Safe blood for all” seeks to raise awareness of the universal need for safe blood in the delivery of health care. lt also looks at the crucial roles that voluntary donations play in achieving the goal of universal health coverage.
The theme strongly encourages more people all over the world to become blood donors and donate blood regularly.
This year’s global event will be held in Rwanda, bringing the global event to Africa for a second time.
Zimbabwe will be participating at the event and June 14 has been set aside as a blood donation day for Zimbabweans.
The NBSZ public affairs manager, Ms Esther Massundah, has been chosen as one of the six speakers at the World Blood Donor Day Academy Day on June 13.
NBSZ has set aside the month of June as a Blood Donor Month and various activities to promote the blood programme are lined up.
Members of the public are encouraged to visit the NBSZ centres to donate blood on June 14 and throughout the month of June. The day will also be a Blood Donors Red Day, where blood donors are encouraged to wear red in solidarity with other blood donors from all over the world.
Celebrations will spill into the 15th of June where NBSZ will host a Blood Donor Awards ceremony through all its five branches to recognize the milestone blood donors and to also present awards to various organizations for their contribution in supporting the Blood Programme in Zimbabwe.
To honor its blood donors, the Zimbabwe National Commemoration will be held on July 6 at Biriri High School in Chimanimani. NBSZ will hand over support to school blood collection sites affected by Cyclone Idai. These include Biriri High School, Chimanimani High School, Ndima High School, Nyahode High School and Rusitu High School.
NBSZ is appealing to the public to join this initiative, which is being carried out through a three-phase approach. Resources in the form of sanitary wear are being sourced for the girl child at these schools.
Blood donors coming through on June 14 are encouraged to bring something for the community social responsibility project.
Other activities to mobilise resources for the Cyclone Idai affected blood collection sites include a Fun Run, which is set for August 3. Registration for the Fun Run opens tomorrow at the NBSZ Harare Offices at 53 Mazowe Street (next door to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals).
Donations for Cyclone Idai can be sent through Ecocash to NBSZ Biller Code 69842 while those in kind can be dropped at any NBSZ office closest to you.
For more details, email [email protected], Twitter/Facebook @NBSZBloodbank.
As NBSZ prepares to join other countries in commemorating World Blood Donor Day on June 14, the organisation calls upon all Zimbabweans to remember and thank the silent heroes who have contributed immensely in saving the lives of millions of people through their precious gift of blood.
Those who are fit and healthy, make a decision to become a blood donor this June Be-The-1.
