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Paidamoyo Chipunza Health Reporter
The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe plans to regulate blood transfusion and sale of blood products in the country to encourage other players to venture into the trade, the MCAZ said yesterday.

MCAZ spokesperson Mr Richard Rukwata said at the moment the National Blood Services Zimbabwe was self-regulated.

“There is no body that oversees its activities. There is currently no regulatory framework,” said Mr Rukwata.

He said there was need to set up independent frameworks that looked at NBSZ’s systems and processes.

“We strongly feel that might attract other players with newer technologies on transfusion of blood thereby bringing down the cost of blood and blood products,” Mr Rukwata said.

He said new players might also have other ideas of motivating people to donate blood.

NBSZ is the only organisation involved in transfusion of blood and selling of other blood products in the country.

It is a private company but providing its products to Government among other clients.

Mr Rukwata further revealed that his organisation was also working on tightening the importation and exportation of medical devices. These include devices such as tongue depressors and sutures.

He said MCAZ noted with concern that some devices imported in the country were of poor quality with a potential of compromising the standard of service delivery.

He said there was no law regulating these devices such that dealers were bringing in products of any quality into the country.

“We need to respond to that by setting up some standards for monitoring quality of those products,” he said.

Mr Rukwata said through section 38 of the Medicines and Allied Substances Control Act the Minister of Health and Child Care was empowered to put regulations in place for the management, monitoring and control of these devices.

“We have very good regulatory processes in place for western type medicines, gloves, condoms and now we are moving further to medical devices, blood and blood products,” he said.

MCAZ is a Government parastatal mandated to protect the public from substandard medical products through management, monitoring and control of all importation and exportation of medicines and related products.

Of late and in partnership with the association of traditional healers, MCAZ was working on regulation of traditional and complementary medicines.