A critical blood shortage in Ireland has led to the cancellation of all non-essential elective surgery on the Emerald Isle for the next four to five days.
The directive comes from the Irish Blood Transfusion Service after donations dropped below the minimum 3,000 units required every week. According to its website, the total blood stock level for this week is 1,885.
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"Despite intensive efforts by the IBTS to offset the decline in donations, we have been left with no alternative but to notify the hospitals that we are unable to meet their demands for blood at this time," said IBTS chief executive Andrew Kelly.
Hospitals will still be able to perform emergency surgery.
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Maura McGrath, who chairs the IBTS, told the Irish Examiner: "The board of the IBTS regrets the impact of this decision on individual patients. We understand the inconvenience and upset it has caused. We value our donors who give so generously and encourage people to come forward to donate so we can meet patient needs."
The call to halt surgery is coming as a surprise to many doctors who were in the dark as to the severity of the blood situation.
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"It seems very drastic that this has happened without us being made aware there was a shortage coming along," Fine Gael health spokesman Dr. Liam Twomey said.
Officials cited several factors for the shortage, including regulations introduced to prevent transmission of mad-cow disease, recent good weather and bank-holiday weekends.
"This must have been growing as a problem for some time," said Labour health spokeswoman Liz McManus. "It's very disturbing, particularly after all the good work that the IBTS has been doing lately."
