The Irish Blood Transfusion Service has begun a week- long initiative designed to increase the level of blood donation from the general public in the face of a near crisis in supply.
Blood for Life Week aims to build up awareness of the importance of giving blood, as well as to increase the bank of 100,000 regular donors out of a potential population of 1.2 million.
Ms Caroline Wade (18) and five-year-old Peter Martin, who both benefited from blood transfusions during surgery, attended the launch yesterday by Minister for Health in Dublin. Mr Martin said hospital services could not continue without the gift of blood given voluntarily. "We should not take for granted that blood will always be available in our hospitals," he said.
Mr Andrew Kelly, deputy c.e.o. of the IBTS, said 100,000 regular donors could not be expected to support the needs of a population of 3.84 million. The IBTS needed at least 3,000 units of blood a week to maintain a sufficient supply for surgery and emergencies. In the past two months, donations had been falling below that figure by about 400 to 500, he said.
"Certainly, if we don't get a lift this week and next week we will have to call off operations because we won't have the blood. Where someone has been waiting a year or two years for an operation, we don't want them to be put off because there is a lack of blood."
Mr Kelly admitted that a number of controversies including the Lindsay tribunal, had affected the level of donations.
He said giving blood was entirely safe and there was no risk of any infection.