Appeal for 2,000 blood donations as supply runs low
An additional 2,000 blood donations are needed over the next four weeks to maintain the national blood supply, according to the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS).
It said some blood groups have fallen to under three days of stock.
It said that stock levels, including those for O negative and B negative are causing concern.
IBTS Director of Donor Services and Logistics Paul McKinney said the service aims to have a seven day supply at all times, but O positive supplies - which relate to nearly half the total population - are at just over two-and-a-half days currently.
He said that a stock management alert letter was issued to all hospitals on 13 May, "restricting issues and hospitals have been asked to reduce their stock holding. This enables the IBTS to manage the limited blood supply available more effectively across the health service."
The next escalation of the blood shortage is the issuing of an amber alert letter and this will have major implications on the health service, Mr McKinney said.
"If the IBTS must issue an 'amber alert letter', it would have an immediate implication for hospitals and for elective surgical procedures that require blood support.
"Hospital demand for blood has been consistently high, particularly since the Easter and May Bank holidays. The continued good weather has also impacted clinic attendances," he added.
Read More: Mixed reality headsets to help drive blood donations
Mr McKinney said the IBTS needs to boost its collections by 500 donations per week across all blood groups to meet the consistently high demand.
"In addition, the start of the summer holiday travel period has also had an impact on donor availability," he added.
The IBTS is asking regular donors to make an extra effort to attend their nearest clinic, especially in Dublin and Cork, where there is clinic availability every week.
For the longer term, it is also urging donors to consider giving blood if they are eligible before travelling abroad this summer.
"New donors are especially welcome, and we would encourage anybody interested in giving blood to visit our website to check their eligibility before coming to a clinic and call us on 1800 731137 to make an appointment," Mr McKinney said.
"We would particularly encourage new donors of African heritage to join the national blood donor panel to help us diversify the donor base and get better blood type matches for patients," he added.
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