Every year, thousands of patients in Greece face serious health risks because of recurring blood shortages. This happens even though the country counts more than 400,000 registered volunteer donors and has documented annual needs of around 550,000 blood units. In theory, Greece should be able to collect enough blood. In practice, however, hospitals often issue urgent appeals for donations, and the country is sometimes forced to import thousands of units to meet demand.

Officials at the Ministry of Health attribute this mismatch to years of poor organization and logistical inefficiencies within the national blood supply system. As one hospital source told To Vima, “There are times—like in November or spring—when some hospitals’ refrigerators are overflowing with blood bags, while just a few kilometers away, other hospitals barely manage to complete their daily surgeries without calling on patients’ relatives for help.”

Seasonal Crises and Systemic Gaps

The situation becomes especially critical in July and August, when blood shortages peak nationwide. Many Greeks are on vacation during those months, and regular donors often skip appointments.

Doctors say the deeper issue lies in the absence of a sustained culture of voluntary blood donation. Instead of a steady habit, appeals for donors tend to come in waves—seasonal campaigns triggered by emergencies rather than an ongoing civic commitment.

To correct this, authorities have begun centralizing blood collection across Attica, Greece’s most populous region. Blood gathered at 24 hospitals will now be redistributed based on real-time demand, in hopes of reducing waste and improving supply consistency.

A Country with Unique Challenges

Greece also faces a unique challenge compared with other European nations: the country has an unusually high number of patients who depend on regular blood transfusions for survival. According to the president of the Hellenic Thalassemia Association, Vasilis Dimos, “Blood sufficiency remains a long-standing challenge. Despite progress in recent years, Greece still covers part of its needs through imports from abroad.”

Thalassemia—a hereditary blood disorder common in Mediterranean populations—prevents the body from producing enough healthy hemoglobin. Greece has an estimated 3,000 people living with thalassemia and another 1,000 with sickle cell anemia, both conditions requiring frequent transfusions.

“Each thalassemia patient needs on average four units of blood per month—about 50 units per year,” Dimos explains. “That means nearly one-quarter of all blood collected in Greece goes to support this one patient group.”

Lives on Hold

For these individuals, the stakes could not be higher. “When transfusions are delayed, our hemoglobin levels drop,” says Dimos. “We feel exhaustion, bone pain, weakness. Our lives are completely disrupted.”

A representative of the Thalassemia Association expressed frustration at how close Greece is to true self-sufficiency: “It’s inconceivable that we’ve come this far and still can’t cover the last 20,000 units.”

Despite awareness campaigns, the blood supply system still relies heavily on so-called replacement donors—friends or family members of patients who give blood only when someone they know needs it. This reactive model leaves the system vulnerable to fluctuations and emergencies.

Encouraging Progress and Data

Still, there are encouraging signs. According to Eleni Tsagari, president of the National Blood Center (EKEA), “We’ve already analyzed the 2024 data to implement targeted policies that will increase the number of regular volunteer donors.”

Last year, Greece collected a total of 527,835 blood units from 426,336 donors. Of those, 356,808 units came from volunteers, 159,000 from relatives, and 11,327 from members of the Armed Forces.

Additionally, Greece imported 18,000 blood units from Switzerland to meet the needs of multi-transfused patients. “These imports were reduced by 10% compared with previous years,” Tsagari notes, “as we managed to cover more needs with Greek donations.”

The outlook for 2025 is even more positive. Between January 1 and September 24, Greek hospitals collected 389,243 blood units—up from 382,000 during the same period in 2024.

Building a Culture of Giving

The data, obtained by To Vima, also reveal that men outnumber women among donors by a ratio of three to one. The lowest participation rates are seen among young adults aged 18 to 25. New donors make up 17.8% of the national registry, while 30.7% are regular donors. Alarmingly, 43.9% of registered donors have given blood only once in the past two years.

These numbers highlight a crucial reality: Greece doesn’t just need more donors—it needs repeat donors. Building a culture of consistent, voluntary blood donation remains the single most important step toward national self-sufficiency.

Without it, hospitals will continue to alternate between surplus and scarcity, and patients whose lives depend on regular transfusions will keep facing unnecessary anxiety and risk.

The numbers show that Greece is closer than ever to covering its needs entirely with domestic donations. But until blood donation becomes a steady, ingrained habit rather than a response to crisis, the country’s system will remain fragile.

The blood is there. What’s missing is the rhythm.