The Blood Donation Mobile Unit has been out of operation for almost two months after it developed problems to its chassis.
As a result, donors have to go to the blood bank in Guardamangia.
Sources said the fault in the chassis made it impossible for the vehicle to be driven. As the necessary accessories were not immediately available, the mobile unit has been parked outside St Vincent de Paul residence in Luqa, pending the repairs.
A Health Ministry spokeswoman confirmed that the blood mobile unit had not been used for a number of weeks. “The mobile blood unit is currently undergoing maintenance work on the chassis and should be up and running by mid-January,” she said.
No replies were forthcoming when asked what the effect would be on blood supplies and whether anything was being done to replace the ‘blood drives’. The spokeswoman only said the blood donation centre in Guardamangia was open daily between 8am and 6pm Monday to Sunday.
Fault made it impossible for the vehicle to be driven
“As always, blood donors are being urged to donate because it is essential that an adequate blood supply is maintained. Donors are requested to attend the blood donation centre. The department is also holding regular donation sessions in the donation centre in Xewkija,” she said.
The sources said companies that wanted to organise ‘blood drives’ this festive season were turned away by the blood bank, which asked them to make arrangements for their employees to be transported to the blood bank and back.
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“We were told to book a minibus or a coach to take the staff to the blood bank instead of having the mobile unit coming outside the factory. It would have been a logistical nightmare, so we just dropped it and told the staff to go there in their free time if they wanted. It’s a pity because they would have collected a good amount of blood from here,” a director of a large firm told Times of Malta, asking to remain anonymous.
According to the Health Ministry’s website, the 80-foot mobile unit collects more than 3,000 units of blood a year and “has become an important source of blood collection”.
A fifth of those who donated blood on Boxing Day were new donors.