Irish Blood Transfusion Service

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS), or Seirbhís Fuilaistriúcháin na hÉireann in Irish, was established in Ireland as the Blood Transfusion Service Board (BTSB) by the Blood Transfusion Service Board (Establishment) Order, 1965.[1] It took its current name in April 2000 by Statutory Instrument issued by the Minister for Health and Children to whom it is responsible. The Service provides blood and blood products for humans.

The corporate logo incorporates a stylised pelican, as well as the name of the service.

History

The service is the successor to the National Blood Transfusion Association which was established in 1948 and was, itself, born from the work carried out by the St. John Ambulance Brigade of Ireland in setting up an 'on call' blood donor panel[2] to serve hospitals in the Dublin area. In 1975 the Cork Blood Transfusion Service was amalgamated with the board, and in 1991 the Limerick Blood Transfusion Service was amalgamated with the board.

The symbol of the service is a stylised pelican, recalling the legend of the Pelican in her piety. For most of its existence, the headquarters of the service was located at Pelican House (first in Lower Leeson Street and then Mespil Road) in Dublin. In 2000 the service moved to the National Blood Centre on the grounds of St. James's Hospital near Dublin Heuston railway station, on which it remains. The service maintains regional facilities at Ardee, Carlow, Cork, Limerick and Tuam.

The Compensation Tribunal

Between 1977 and 1994 a number of people unknowingly received Hepatitis C-infected blood, and clear evidence of this did not become available until the mid-1990s. Most of those infected by the blood were women. The Hepatitis C and HIV Compensation Tribunal was established by the Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal Act, 1997, and amended by the Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal (Amendment) Act, 2002, to compensate people who contracted Hepatitis C or HIV as a result of receiving blood or blood products from the Service.

About blood

The frequency of blood groups in Ireland is as follows:[3]

O Positive 47% O Negative 8% A Positive 26% A Negative 5%
B Positive 9% B Negative 2% AB Positive 2% AB Negative 1%

It is important that the IBTS collects enough O Rh D positive blood as almost half the population are that blood type. Donors with O Rh D negative are known as universal donors. Their blood can be transfused to patients of any other blood group in an emergency or if the patient's own blood group is unavailable. Because any patient can receive O Rh D negative blood, the IBTS need to have extra O Rh D negative blood available at all times.

Eligibility to donate

The service depends entirely on voluntary donations from the public. New donors must be aged between 18 and 64, weigh over 50 kilograms (7 stone 12 lbs), and be in good health. At every donation haemoglobin levels are checked and donors complete a detailed health and lifestyle questionnaire. Donors can donate blood every 90 days.

The IBTS imposes a number of restrictions on those who can give blood. A four-month restriction is placed on donors who have had piercings or tattoos or had acupuncture, and a similar restriction on anyone who has visited a tropical country (three months). There is a year-long deferral for those who have visited a malarial area. Additionally, there are groups of people who are permanently barred from donating blood based on their membership of high-risk groups. People who have ever been injected with any kind of non-prescription drug, and anyone who have ever been paid for sex with money or drugs are also permanently barred from donating blood.

Ban on men who have sex with men

Men who have sex with men (MSM) may donate blood if they have not engaged in oral or anal sex with another man at least 4 months prior to a donation. This policy came into effect from 28 March 2022 and has come under heavy criticism from politicians, such as the Labour Party's Senator Annie Hoey and Sinn Féin Senator Lynn Boylan,[4] as well as the public[5] due to a perceived lack of scientific basis for the policy and the lack of information on the reason for the rule.[6] The IBTS has also been criticised for rolling back on the recommendation formally adopted by its Board in September 2021 to remove oral sex between men as a grounds for deferral from March 2022.[7] An individualised risk assessment system is due to come into effect for all donors at a later date in 2022.[8]

Donor Awards

Donors are recognised for their commitment by being awarded as follows: A silver award is given for 10 donations; a gold award for 20 donations; a gold drop-shaped lapel pin (representing blood) for 50 donations; and presentation at an awards dinner ceremony, and a porcelain pelican, for 100 donations.

Platelets and bone marrow

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service is also responsible for the collection of blood platelets and for managing the Unrelated Bone Marrow registry in Ireland. Donors can give platelets at the National Blood Centre in St James Hospital in Dublin or at St Finbarr's Hospital in Cork. Donors can join the unrelated bone marrow registry through their local blood clinic by offering an extra blood sample and satisfying suitability criteria.

References
  1. "S.I. No. 78/1965 – The Blood Transfusion Service Board (Establishment) Order, 1965". Irishstatutebook.ie. Archived from the original on 10 March 2007. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
  2. "Irish Blood Transfusion Service :: Share Life, Donate Blood". 3 October 2006. Archived from the original on 3 October 2006. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  3. "Irish Blood Transfusion Service – Irish Blood Group Type Frequency Distribution". Irish Blood Transfusion Service. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
  4. "An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business – Seanad Éireann (26th Seanad) – Tuesday, 29 Mar 2022". www.oireachtas.ie. Houses of the Oireachtas. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  5. "Letters to the editor: We need clarity over donating blood to tackle acute shortage". Irish Examiner. 16 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  6. Tutty, Sonja. "Blood donation policy for gay and bisexual men operating 'on the fly'". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  7. McCurry, Cate (28 March 2022). "'Disappointment' over change to wait time for gay men to donate blood". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  8. Bowers, Fergal (28 March 2022). "New criteria for gay men to donate blood in effect". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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