McGimpsey urges public to give blood

At the start of Blood Donor Week Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey, encouraged all eligible people to make a life saving investment by giving blood.

The Minister, who is a donor, himself said: "Blood donation is vital for the delivery of health care, saving and enhancing lives. We all know someone who has benefited from donated blood through emergency surgery, for routine operations, in the treatment of cancer or childbirth. Around 500 patients in Northern Ireland need life saving blood each week. To ensure an adequate supply to our hospitals, we need 300 people to give blood every day.

"With the demand for blood increasing all the time and only 6% of Northern Ireland’s population donating that leaves 94% of eligible donors not donating. I would urge everyone eligible across the province to consider becoming a blood donor."

Welcoming the Minister’s support Paul McElkerney from the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service said: "I would like to thank the Minister as a regular donor, and encourage both, new donors to come forward and regular donors to keep coming back, to meet the need and future need of supplies."

Notes to editors:

1. Media enquires to DHSSPS Press Office on 028 9052 0567 or out of hours contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 076 9971 5440 and your call will be returned.
2. There are almost 1,000 blood donation sessions at 240 locations throughout the province, and anyone aged between the age of 17 and 65 can give blood for the first time and continue to donate three times a year up to the age of 70.
3. The Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service is located on the Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7TS, 028 9032 1414.
4. Its headquarters is in Belfast, one fixed donation centre at College Street, Belfast. The headquarters unit collects both red cell and platelet donation. There are three mobile units (one of which is based in Omagh covering the West).
5. Annual blood collection of around 62,000 donations (58,000 red cells and 4,000 platelet donations).
6. Current donor panel of just under 65,000 (versus an optimum panel of 67,000). To achieve this target, the service needs to recruit about 9,000 new donors each year (current projection is 7,500).
7. Whilst current blood stocks are reasonably satisfactory (on target at about five days), specific blood groups e.g. O negative remain in high demand (today – a stock of 3-4 days only).