The general election week and the visit of Pope Francis led to a drop in blood donations which have now picked up as donors responded to an urgent call, according to the National Blood Transfusion Service.

“Last week was very bad. But we are just right now as, following a public appeal, we had 531 donors come forward in the past seven days when usually we have about 400 a week.

This had dropped to 120 during the general election week. People were distracted and the same thing happened when the Pope visited,” said Tony Micallef, a practice nurse who is also the press officer of the service.

The good news is that Good Friday typically sees an increase in donations with many also donating throughout the Easter holidays when they have more time on their hands.

Micallef explained that blood donations were always in demand with the blood bank being asked to supply about 50 bags a day to Mater Dei Hospital.

“We try to collect at least 50 bags, that is 50 donors, every day. This does not mean getting 100 on one day and 20 on another because we need to ensure we have a consistent supply in case of emergencies,” he said.

Blood donations are always in demand with the blood bank being asked to supply about 50 bags a day to Mater Dei Hospital- Tony Micallef, press officer, National Blood Transfusion Service

Earlier this week, a Spanish man residing in Malta, Jorge Nadal, reached out to Times of Malta and pointed out that, together with a group of Spanish people, he wanted to donate blood following the urgent public call.

“Malta’s Blood Bank issued an urgent call as national reserves were critically low. We urged the Spanish community to donate blood but people with a foreign ID are unfortunately not allowed to do so,” he said.

Micallef explained that this was policy and it was done for traceability reasons. The blood bank only accept donors with a valid Maltese identification document which includes a Maltese ID card number, a Maltese passport, a Maltese driving licence, e-Residence card for foreigners or a diplomatic card.

“This is done because we are bound to ensure the traceability of the donor to an address in Malta. If a person donates blood and tests show that that person has a health issue or disease, we need to be able to track that person down. We do this also as a sign of respect towards patients, guaranteeing them a supply of disease-free blood,” he said.

Micallef appealed for people to donate blood “to keep up the good reserves” at the Guardamangia blood centre which is open seven days a week, including public holidays, from 8am to 6pm.

For more information visit the Facebook age of the National Blood Transfusion Services.