Over the past month, four separate public appeals to volunteer blood donors have been issued, all carrying the same warning: blood reserves are at critically low levels. This, however, is not an isolated development. A review of recent announcements and reports shows that in the past six months alone, more than 10 such appeals have been made, outlining a picture of constant pressure on the blood supply system.
Until recently, appeals of this kind were mainly associated with holiday periods and the summer months, when donor turnout traditionally declines. What has been recorded over the past year, however, represents an unprecedented situation, with serious implications for the country’s healthcare system. Blood transfusions, dialysis sessions and treatments are being postponed, while doctors and nurses have long been sounding the alarm over blood sufficiency.
The problem is known to the relevant authorities, as are the reasons behind the steady increase in demand. Nevertheless, decisions that could prevent the system from repeatedly reaching breaking point have yet to be taken.
One in 10 donors, but still not enough
The situation is also reflected in the data. Although Cyprus ranks among the countries with a high percentage of volunteer blood donors, with around 9% of the population donating blood, demand is increasing at a pace the system struggles to keep up with.
On an annual basis, at least 70,000 units of blood are collected, corresponding to approximately 190 units per day, with fluctuations depending on the period. At the same time, daily demand has risen dramatically. Whereas three years ago around 200 units were needed per day, current needs average 350 units daily.
A similar increase is seen in red blood cell transfusions: from approximately 72,000 units in 2023 to 79,000 units in 2024, an increase of around 10% within a single year. These figures leave little room for misinterpretation and explain why appeals for blood donation have shifted from being occasional to almost permanent.
Five donors out of 120
Speaking to Politis, the director of the Blood Centre, Androula Panayiotou, explains that seasonal viral infections are currently one of the factors affecting donor turnout.
“When someone falls ill, they need to wait around 15 days after recovery before they are eligible to donate blood, and this makes things difficult for us,” she notes.
She cites a recent organised blood drive as indicative of the situation. “We recently held a blood donation event in a specific area. We contacted 120 volunteer donors from that area, and only five were able to come and donate. A large proportion of the rest were ill or recovering, while others had donated recently in response to appeals during the holiday period, when our reserves were again low.”
Rise in surgical procedures
Asked why the system so frequently reaches the point of emergency appeals, Ms Panayiotou stresses that daily blood needs have increased significantly over the past three years.
“Three years ago, we needed around 200 units of blood per day. Today, that number has risen to 350,” she says.
She attributes this rise to an increase in surgical procedures linked to the implementation of the General Healthcare System (GeSY), a rise in gynaecological and haematological cases, and a higher number of multi-trauma patients resulting from road traffic collisions. Another contributing factor is patients requiring multiple transfusions. While their numbers may not have increased, she notes that “our thalassaemia patients are now at an age where they require more frequent transfusions”.
On measures to increase donor numbers, Ms Panayiotou points out that Cyprus already has a relatively high number of donors compared with other European countries. At the same time, she urges those who are healthy to dedicate 30 minutes of their time to visit the nearest donation centre and give blood.
Transfusion-dependent patients: Enough is enough
While blood needs are known, recorded and to a degree predictable, transfusion-dependent patients, including people with thalassaemia, are once again facing postponed or reduced transfusions due to low reserves.
According to the president of the Thalassaemia Association, Miltos Miltiadou, this situation is neither unexpected nor new. Speaking to Politis, he describes it as a recurring problem that has resurfaced with worrying frequency in recent years, despite repeated warnings by the association at all levels.
He stresses that blood shortages should not be treated as an “emergency” when it comes to patients who require transfusions at regular, fixed intervals throughout their lives.
“For people with thalassaemia, the need for blood does not appear suddenly. It is permanent, continuous and entirely predictable,” he says, adding that patients cannot live with the anxiety of whether the system will respond each time.
Postponed transfusions
Mr Miltiadou explains that the problem becomes even more acute when patients receive fewer units than required or when their appointments are postponed.
“When someone needs two units to meet their body’s needs, it is unacceptable to administer only one, or to tell them their transfusion will be delayed,” he says, underlining the obvious consequences for patients’ health and daily lives.
He expresses particular concern that such postponements and under-transfusions are occurring even outside holiday periods, something that should serve as a wake-up call for the authorities. In his view, blood donation management continues to rely on fragmented, last-minute appeals that exhaust regular donors, rather than on stable, long-term planning.
Time for a redesign
While not questioning the contribution of volunteer donors or the efforts of the Blood Centre’s staff and management, Mr Miltiadou emphasises the need for a comprehensive redesign of the overall strategy.
In recent years, blood needs have increased due to changes in the healthcare system and the number and nature of surgical procedures, with demand rising faster than the donor base.
Blood donation, he argues, cannot rely solely on sporadic campaigns or dramatic appeals when reserves reach critical levels. Instead, it requires systematic, meaningful public awareness efforts, with targeted campaigns aimed at attracting new donors and creating a stable, expanded pool of volunteers.
Patience has run out
“It cannot always be the thalassaemia patients who pay the price through postponements or reduced transfusions. This practice must stop. We are exhausted, and our community is tired and deeply concerned,” he says.
Transfusion-dependent patients are active citizens with professional and family responsibilities, which become harder to manage when the system fails to guarantee their basic treatment. Each postponement or reduction affects not only their health but their entire daily routine.
While acknowledging that some steps are being taken by the state and that a national blood strategy is being promoted, which may help in the medium term, Mr Miltiadou insists that immediate and sustainable solutions are needed.
“This cannot go on. The situation is unsustainable,” he stresses, calling on the authorities to assume their responsibilities and appealing to citizens who are able to donate blood to once again support a need that is not temporary, but a matter of life.
Eight measures to increase volunteer blood donors
According to the president of the Thalassaemia Association, the repeated appeals for blood and persistently critical reserves do not represent an unsolvable problem. On the contrary, he says, specific interventions can be implemented immediately, provided there is political will and long-term planning. These measures, already submitted to the Ministry of Health, include:
- A radical redesign of blood donation policy, with emphasis on strategic communication, targeted outreach and consistency, to put an end to fragmented and exhausting appeals.
- Targeted, professionally designed campaigns with different messages for different age and social groups, and systematic use of social media featuring human stories and positive messaging.
- Institutional strengthening of blood donation communication, through the creation of a specialised unit or collaboration with professionals, and reconnection with former donors through personal outreach.
- Establishment of year-round, regular blood donation activities, with the active participation of organisations, businesses, public and semi-public bodies, and the revival of local blood drives that foster a sense of community.
- Improved management and rational use of blood, with unified planning, evidence-based protocols, better transfusion oversight and the use of technological solutions to reduce waste.
- Acceleration and implementation of the National Blood Strategy to ensure comprehensive planning and forecasting of growing needs.
- Investment in schools as a key pillar for cultivating a new generation of donors, through experiential education, real-life examples and the institutionalisation of blood drives in lyceums and technical schools.
- Inclusion of non-Cypriots living and working in the country in the blood donation system, through proper information and a safe framework for participation.