Blood shortages lead to cancelled operations

Blood shortages have forced hospitals to postpone non-emergency operations from today - for the second time in 12 months.

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) confirmed it has written to all hospitals warning them blood stocks are critically low and that supplies cannot guaranteed. The IBTS said blood supplies were nearly 40 per cent below the required level.

A public appeal for people to donate blood was issued this afternoon to counteract the effects of reduced donor numbers over the Christmas holidays.

IBTS deputy chief executive Mr Andy Kelly told ireland.comblood supplies had fallen to their lowest level since January last year, when an appeal was also issued.

He said only 100,000 people in the State donate blood and that the challenge is to get the 1.2 million eligible people who have never given blood to donate. If 1 in 50 of these were to become regular donors, adequate supplies would always be available, the IBTS said.

In particularly short supply are units of A positive and A negative blood - which have fallen below 50 per cent of the required level.

The IBTS donor pool contracted by 12 per cent in March 31st last year when it decided to defer donations from donors who lived in the UK between 1980–1996 to minimise any risk of transmitting vCJD by blood transfusion.

The IBTS has ruled out financial incentives as a means of attracting new donors. It also said the use of synthetic blood products as a substitute for some blood products was a number of years away.

A full list of donor clinics is available on the IBTS website.