harare24dmin Social and political commentator Freeman Chari alerted the nation to some concerning financial developments at the blood authorities in Zimbabwe. A closer look at the 2023 financial report of the National Blood Services Zimbabwe (NBSZ) raises disturbing questions. The institution, which brands itself as a non-profit organization, appears to be profiting heavily from a resource that is donated freely by the public: blood.
A deep dive into the numbers reveals a staggering 80% gross margin. Simply put, for every pint of blood that NBSZ sells at $250, the actual processing cost is just $50. This means a gross profit of about $200 per pint—before even accounting for administrative or operational expenses. It’s a margin more common in luxury goods or speculative financial trading, not in life-saving public health services.
But the story doesn’t end there.
After all salaries were paid, facilities maintained, and operational costs covered, NBSZ still posted a surplus of $3.5 million in 2023. That’s 32% of their total revenue. In any normal business, this would be celebrated as a stellar year. But for an entity that operates under the moral and legal banner of “non-profit,” it’s deeply troubling.
The report even boasts about a 272% growth in inflation-adjusted revenue, and an eye-watering 1,470% growth in historical terms from the previous year. This is not just inflation catch-up—it’s a windfall. And it’s being made off the backs of struggling patients and free donors who give their blood expecting it to save lives, not to fatten financial statements.
This data makes one thing clear: NBSZ could cut the price of blood by at least 30% and still end the year with a healthy surplus. Yet, they continue to charge some of the highest prices in the region, turning blood into big business.
While the organization undeniably performs a crucial service in collecting, testing, and distributing safe blood, the profit margins suggest a motive beyond altruism. The narrative of charity begins to crumble when the same entity profits so heavily from a life-saving resource that was given to them for free.
NBSZ needs to answer hard questions: Who benefits from these profits? Why is blood priced so exorbitantly when its raw material—human generosity—costs nothing? And how does this square with their not-for-profit status?
