An urgent appeal has been issued for blood donations by the Irish Blood Transfusion Board as the national supply has fallen short.
With less than needed in most blood groups, the supply has now fallen to three days in recent weeks. The board aims to keep a seven-day supply in stock at all times.
They have now said their target is to add an additional 2,000 donations over the next five weeks and are appealing to regular and new donors.
The beginning of summer and more people traveling at this time of year has had an impact on the availability of donors and new donors have fallen significantly since the pandemic.
According to RTÉ, Paul McKinney, Director of Donor Services and Logistics, said: “There has been a consistently strong hospital demand for blood and we need to boost our collections by nearly 400 donations per week to meet it.
“We are asking regular donors who are texted over the next few weeks to make an extra effort to attend their nearest clinic.
“They are vital to addressing the current increased demand from hospitals.
“For the longer term, we also urge donors to consider giving blood if they are eligible before they go on holidays this summer.”
Those who want to aid this and donate blood can visit giveblood.ie to see if they are eligible.
