Blood transfusion services may be transferred

DELAYS in improving sub-standard facilities at the Irish Blood Transfusion Service’s (IBTS) Cork centre may force the transfer of some services to Dublin.

Last month’s IBTS meeting heard if the centre at St Finbarr’s Hospital could not be upgraded to Irish Medicines Board (IMB) requirements by the end of August, some services may have to be moved temporarily to the National Blood Centre in Dublin.

Fine Gael’s Bernard Allen, a long-term campaigner against the downgrading of the Cork facility, accused the IBTS of having an ulterior motive in considering temporary transfer of some services.