Fresh call for blood as supplies reach worryingly low levels

Surgical interventions were on the verge of being cancelled this week as the Blood Donation Centre grappled with a worrying shortage in supplies.

An astounding number of people answered to an appeal for help and went to donate blood on Thursday, thus saving the day.

Yet, health officials said that this is not enough and regular donations were needed to keep the supply from dwindling back to worrisome levels.

Stefan Laspina, consultant in charge of Mater Dei Hospital's Blood Bank, said the hospital's supplies of O positive blood - the most common blood type - were down to 54 bags on Thursday. Although this might not seem like a small number, Dr Laspina noted that it is not the first time that someone involved in a bad traffic accident or a woman haemorrhaging after delivering a baby needed between 20 and 30 bags of blood.

"Having such a short supply was extremely worrying," he told The Times.

Such a shortage puts the health officials in the unpleasant position of having to decide whether to cancel non-emergency operations, although Dr Laspina said this was always the last resort.

Close to 200 bags of blood - each containing 300 millilitres - were donated between 8 p.m. on Thursday and 4 p.m. yesterday, following an urgent appeal for help by the Blood Donation Centre. People waited until the early hours of the morning to donate blood, although some left before. Tony Micallef, a nurse at the centre, said they will be given priority next time they call to donate blood.

Mr Micallef said the blood supply was never good, making matters worse when this goes down even by a small percentage. He urged people to go to the Blood Donation Centre, near St Luke's Hospital, over the weekend.

The Blood Donation Centre, in St Luke's Square, Guardamangia, will be open between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. today and tomorrow.