In the difficult decades of the 1980s and 1990s, when patients with thalassemia were forced to look for blood donors among their relatives to secure the blood they needed for their transfusions, the current situation with blood shortages in Cyprus refers.
This was stated by the president of the Pancyprian Thalassaemia Association, Miltos Miltiadous, speaking to Filenews, describing the difficulties faced by patients who depend on regular transfusions.
"We experienced these things in the 80s and 90s, when we were forced to take our relatives to donate blood to have blood," he said, wanting to demonstrate the seriousness of the problems that have reappeared.
His report is accompanied by complaints about postponements of scheduled transfusions and undertransfusions, with the Association warning that the consequences for patients are not limited to suffering since some patients "have already worsened their condition and are at risk".
The operation of clinics is at 46%, according to the Association
Mr. Miltiadous presented particularly worrying data on the situation in the clinics where patients with thalassemia are served.
There are centers, he said, where the percentage of postponements or undertransfusions reaches 46%, while postponements of transfusions or cases are recorded in which patients receive smaller amounts of blood than necessary.
Subtransfusions are a serious issue for patients with thalassaemia, as their therapeutic monitoring is based on the systematic performance of transfusions.
The president of the Association expressed strong concern about the continuation of this situation, stressing that the shortages directly affect the daily life and health of patients.
Shortcomings even in group A positive
According to Mr. Miltiadous, the differentiation observed this year in the blood groups for which shortages are recorded is even more troubling.
As he explained, in previous years the postponements mainly concerned specific blood types. This year, however, a large number of postponements concern ordinary teams, even the A positive.
This development is considered by the Association to be an indication that the problem of blood sufficiency has taken on wider dimensions.
It is therefore not just difficulties in finding specific groups, but shortages that affect a larger number of patients.
Reports of deteriorating health
In addition to the disruption caused by changes in the scheduling of transfusions, the president of the Association also warned of the risks that may arise when patients remain with low haemoglobin levels.
Delay or inadequate transfusion can aggravate their health condition, with Mr. Miltiadous stating that he has already received information about cases of deterioration.
In particular, he spoke of reports concerning patients whose health has deteriorated, pointing out that "the situation should not be allowed to reach such a point".
