Urgent blood donation clinic opens at Limerick Racecourse

A NEW clinic is opening at Limerick Racecourse this Monday and Tuesday in an urgent appeal for blood donations as “as stocks are critically low”.

The clinic at Limerick Racecourse, will run for a limited time this Monday 23 and Tuesday 24, will be open to the public from 4:15 pm to 7:30 pm.

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) is asking for immediate public and donor support to help recover the national blood supply.

In a statement made by the IBTS, a collection of 3,000 units of blood is needed every week to maintain the national blood supply. The service tries to have seven days of stock at all times, but in recent weeks, in some groups the stock has fallen to just 3 days.

According to a release, only 3% of the population are blood donors and approximately 8% of these donors are O negative - blood which can be transfused to a person of any blood type. As a result, these donors are called on to give blood more frequently.

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Paul McKinney, Director of Donor Services and Logistics has stated that these blood shortages are coming as a result of the “recent high level of respiratory illness” which has ultimately impacted the collection of blood. “We are running critically low across all blood groups. In order to avoid putting further pressure on our hospital system, we need as many donors as possible to attend donation clinics over the coming days”, he urged.

Paul expressed his gratitude to those who regularly donate, adding that their support has been “superb” over the past few months, but adds that new donors are always needed.

“Anybody interested in becoming a new donor should register their interest on our website (www.giveblood.ie) where you will find all clinic locations, opening hours and all frequently asked questions”, he said.

An additional clinic will run on Sunday 29 at the West County Hotel in Ennis.