THE recent shortage of blood donations has caused a number of operations to be cancelled at the Meath Hospital in Dublin.
The Blood Transfusion Service Board (BTSB) says it needs more than 2,000 donations to overcome the current shortfall in the State's blood supply. The BTSB has contacted thousands of previous donors to ask them to donate, according to Dr William Murphy, chief medical officer with the service.
He said the recent ordering of 600 units of blood from Holland would not bring the national reserve back to normal. "We have shortfall of about 2,000 units throughout the country. Each person donates a unit of blood so we need that many donors over the next few weeks to build stocks back up," said Dr Murphy.
Opening hours have been extended at Pelican House in Dublin and emergency mobile units are operating throughout the State.
Hospitals have not been receiving their full orders for blood from the BTSB for at least a week. Dr Murphy said he was not aware last night of any other hospital, apart from the Meath, having to postpone surgery.
However, he explained that the BTSB supplies blood to more than 90 hospitals and that it was difficult to keep in contact with all of them. They had been particularly concerned about stocks at Galway University Hospital but "they had just about made it through" yesterday.
The manager secretary of the Meath, Mr Derek Dockery, said surgery had been postponed in the hospital last Thursday and in the days before there had also been problems.
He mainly blamed the dwindling supply on the decreasing confidence in the BTSB because of the hepatitis C controversy.
"There is no doubt there has been a knock on effect," he said.
Other hospitals in the Dublin area meanwhile told The Irish Times they had experienced no difficulties in obtaining blood supplies in recent days and weeks.
A spokeswoman for the Eastern Health Board reported no shortages at James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown, St Columcille's in Loughlinstown, and Naas General Hospital.