Blood shortage puts operations on hold

The hospital has combed the length of Sweden to try to secure supplies but the risk remains acute that current blood supplies will not suffice, according to a statement published on Tuesday.

“We have searched the country and will receive supplies by taxi during the day from some remote locations. There is a shortage of blood in the whole country,” according to Johan Rönnelid, a chief physician at the hospital.

Rönnelid explains in the statement, which makes an appeal to all new and existing donors to contact the hospital’s blood bank, that the shortage primarily afflicts the blood groups O and B.

He explained furthermore that the underlying reason behind the acute shortage of blood is the increasingly advanced healthcare techniques that require larger quantities of blood.

Blood shortages are not uncommon during the summer months but rarely occur as early as May. The postponement of operations is also a very rare occurrence and has not been necessary at the Uppsala hospital for several years.