10-thousand blood donors are needed over the festive period to maintain hospital operations.
It's a challenging time for The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) because 45 clinics are lost due to the way Christmas falls this year.
Paul McKinney, Operations Director of the IBTS, has urged people to give the gift of blood this Christmas.
“People are busy, people have lots to do, people are travelling – but we would ask please, before you do anything, please make that special Christmas time gift of a blood donation that could save some of these lives,” he said.
“It’s a very challenging time of year for us, and that’s why we ask for a big effort - we really are depending on you.”
Additional clinics are being held on Sundays to compensate for the lost slots.
Main image: A man donates blood at the university hospital. Credit: Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert/dpa/Alamy Live News. 23rd Dec, 2024.
