Irish Blood Transfusion Service pleads for donations as stocks dwindle to all-time low

Levels of blood available are at an all-time low, with nearly 20% of all donor appointments being cancelled weekly.

Almost one-fifth of blood donation appointments are being cancelled each week, prompting the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) to plead with donors to make an effort to drop in and give the "gift of life" in the coming weeks.

Irish blood donations are in high demand following a lack of donor availability due to the level of illness circulating this time of year.

Levels of blood available are at an all-time low, with nearly 20% of all donor appointments being cancelled weekly.

Director of Donor Services and Logistics, Paul McKinney, thanked donors for their continued support and urged people to continue helping the service.

“Donating blood is a selfless act for the person who gives it but is a priceless gift to the person who receives it. For the next three weeks, we will need to make over 10,000 appointments to safely support the health service over Christmas and the New Year," he said.

Mr McKinney made a special appeal to donors with O-, B-, and A- blood, which there is an extremely high demand for.

He outlined the extra steps the IBTS has taken to overcome these shortages, in arranging extra clinics on Sunday, December 18, Tuesday December 27, and Friday December 30 plus two special neonatal clinics in Dublin on Friday, December 23.

A big thank you to the 2799 donors who supported us this week & attended our clinics. We are trying to build our blood supply before Christmas so please continue to support us by making & keeping appointments. #WeCountOnYou #GiveBlood #Thankyou 🩸🎄🩸 pic.twitter.com/ZvKosVebAH

— Giveblood (@Giveblood_ie) December 9, 2022

These neonatal clinics have been organised to collect blood for young babies, who can only receive blood that is less than five days old since collection.

“On any given day 200 patients receive transfusions in Irish hospitals, and the demand for blood, even over Christmas, is constant. We rely on our donors and are urging them to give a priceless gift this Christmas, the gift of life,” Mr McKinney added.

The IBTS have asked those who have made appointments to try and attend where possible to combat the number of last-minute cancellations.

“We would also like to thank donors for their incredible support in what has been a very challenging year for everybody, and we hope they continue that support into 2023,” he added.

Further clinic information can be found on giveblood.ie.