Member's statement: Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service
Member's statement by Mr Robin Swann on .
- MLA
- Mr Robin Swann
- Party at the time
- Ulster Unionist Party
- Date
- 4 June 2024
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4493788
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I arrived home last night to an invitation from the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service to my next donor session. I will take the opportunity to highlight the worthwhile work that it does and encourage everyone in the Chamber and everyone listening to become blood donors. Each donation can support up to three people. Every week in Northern Ireland over 500 people rely on a blood donation that has been received from someone in Northern Ireland. The pints of donations are used within days. There are donation sessions across Northern Ireland at mobile sites and at the headquarters in Belfast City Hospital, so I encourage people to come forward and take those opportunities. As well as encouraging people to donate blood, I ask them to consider donating platelets. That is also a service that the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service offers. Platelets are needed by patients with leukaemia, those undergoing chemotherapy or bone marrow transplants and those who have undergone serious surgeries such as cardiac surgery. The difference between blood and platelet donations is that platelet donations can be kept for only up to seven days, so there is a constant need to refresh the donations. I encourage people to come forward for that. It is encouraging that our Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service recently invested £20 million in a regional blood production and tracking (BPaT) system. Northern Ireland will be the first not just in the UK but in Europe to be able to fully trace a donation through to its end recipient on one electronic system. Northern Ireland will lead the way on that I congratulate and thank the staff of the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service and those who already donate. I encourage people to consider the real benefit that comes from donating blood and platelets in Northern Ireland.
302 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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