The Blood Donation Department at the University Hospital of Heraklion (PAGNI) is scaling back its blood drive operations due to a lack of staff, raising concerns about the island’s blood supply.
According to department director Vana Lydaki, the hospital will be forced to cut its external blood drives nearly in half. The department, which had been organizing 23 to 24 blood drives per month in both the city of Heraklion and surrounding rural areas, will now be limited to just 12 to 13.
“The reduction in mobile units and the drop in monthly blood drives from 23-24 to 12-13 is unavoidable,” Lydaki told local news outlet Patris. “The losses in blood supply will become apparent about 20 days after the cuts begin.”
Weekly Blood Donation Site in Heraklion to Close
In addition to the reduced outreach, the department will shut down its Tuesday afternoon blood donation structure in Daskalogianni Square, a central location in Heraklion that had served as a steady collection point for volunteer donors.
The external blood drive program had been built through sustained effort, ensuring a consistent monthly pool of donors in both urban and inland parts of Crete. Hospital officials warn that the staffing shortages are now undermining that stability.
Lydaki said she has sent multiple written requests over the past several months to the hospital administration, outlining the severity of the problem and formally asking for reinforcements. The department is seeking at least two additional doctors and three non-medical staff members.
Blood Drives Postponed Despite Available Donors
The shortage is already having a direct impact on scheduled drives. According to Patris.gr Dimitris Vrysalis, president of the hospital workers’ union, said some blood donation events organized with local cultural associations are being postponed indefinitely, not due to a lack of volunteers, but because there is not enough staff to carry them out.
“Planned blood drives in cultural associations are already being postponed indefinitely, not because there are no donors, but because the required personnel are not available,” Vrysalis told Patris.
