By Dionne Rose, Staff Reporter 
Richards
DR. LUNDIE Richards, director of the National Blood Transfusion Service (Blood Bank), said yesterday that three of the island's public hospitals Mandeville, May Pen, and Percy Junor in Spaldings ran out of blood supplies on the weekend. Dr. Richards added that there were only 50 units of blood available islandwide with several hospitals currently having single digit of units. He said that usually the Blood Bank would have required between 300 and 500 units of blood going into the holidays.
"This year we have found that inflows have been significantly lower," Dr. Richards told The Gleaner.
The Blood Bank director said that he could not say why the inflow was so low but cited possible causes such as the Yuletide season, which he said makes persons more apt to socalising and shopping. Hence, they are not inclined to giving blood. But he stressed that it was critical that there was no shortage as there were more demands during this time of the year.
In making an appeal to the public, Dr. Richards said that one can predict and plan to give blood but sickness is unpredictable. He said, "Jamaican people need to recognise that you cannot wait until something happens (to give blood). We cannot wait until that moment."
Persons wishing to give blood can attend any of the nine collection centres across the island. These are the Sav-la-Mar Hospital in Westmoreland; the St. Ann's Bay Hospital in St. Ann; the Port Antonio Hospital in Portland; the Mandeville Hospital in Manchester; the Cornwall Regional Hospital in St. James; the May Pen Hospital in Clarendon; the University Hospital of the West Indies in Mona; the Kiwanis National Chest Centre at Liguanea and the Blood Bank on Slipe Pen Road in Kingston.
