Filenews 20 January 2025 - by Marilena Panayi
The Ministry of Health sent an urgent letter to all hospitals in Cyprus calling for savings in units so that urgent and very serious cases can be covered.
Scheduled blood donations, the letter said, are postponed due to illness of a large portion of the population, at a time when patients' needs in Intensive Care Units and wards are increased.
In the letter to hospitals, the director of medical services Elizabeth Constantinou states:
"I inform you that due to low distribution of blood units from the Blood Center there is difficulty in responding to the continued increased blood transfusion needs from the Blood Banks."
The increased demand "is due to planned and emergency surgeries, transfusions of patients and increased hospitalization of patients in intensive care and pathology wards who are transfused."
At the same time, "the attraction of blood donors is very low and there is cancellation of blood donations due to the outbreak of respiratory viruses and the illness of a large portion of the population."
Therefore, the letter states, hospitals must ensure that:
- Prioritize emergency surgery
- Evaluate cases requiring transfusion and prioritize transfusions of patients with low haemoglobin and a history
- Prioritize haemoglobin and clinical evaluation transfusions of multitransfused patients
The blood banks, the director of medical services concludes in her letter, "are in constant communication with public and private hospitals and every effort is being made to manage the low stock, having as a priority the response to emergencies so that no human life is endangered."
