Blood banks in the Canaries are at critically low levels, according to a nurse at the region’s Blood Donation Institute.
In remarks widely reported today, Daniel Quintero expresses fears that a major incident in the islands would stretch supplies beyond capacity and lives could be in danger, with the availability of certain groups such as O negative of particular concern.
Quintero adds that operational decisions at the Institute have exacerbated the situation as dozens of staff have been made redundant or not had their contracts renewed and, as a result, resources to collect and process donations in a timely manner are also very stretched.
“The lack of staff means that mobile blood donation units cannot be sent out as much as they would normally at this time of year. We currently have blood stocks of just one day in some cases and, if someone is hit by a car on a pedestrian crossing, their chances of survival may well depend on their blood group” said Quintero.
The complaints come just days after Canarian health minister Soledad Monzón told the regional Parliament that reports of low stocks and the cancellation of urgent operations due to the lack of blood for transfusions were inaccurate, although she did apologise for ongoing “management issues” at the Blood Donation Institute.
Monzón gave the assurances in response to a question from MP Yone Caraballo, who asked her to confirm that 41 operations had been cancelled across three of the Canaries’ biggest hospitals in the first quarter of 2025.
