Minister of Health Rudyard Spencer has admitted that there is a shortage of blood bags and the problem is worse than reported in The Gleaner yesterday.

The Gleaner report quoted acting head of the Blood Bank, Dr Joy Taylor, as saying the bags would be in the island this week. Spencer echoed this position early yesterday, but by late afternoon he had recanted in an interview on Nationwide Radio.

Spencer admitted that the ship carrying the blood bags would not get to Panama until November 26 and should get to Jamaica some time after.

Desperate attempt

The health minister went on to say he would be speaking to the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) in a desperate attempt to get bags to come in from Trinidad late this evening.

"I will be burning the midnight oil to investigate why we are just hearing about it," Spencer said in the radio interview.

He argued that the health ministry was not made aware of the shortage of bags. However, it took The Gleaner less than an hour on Monday to determine that there were no blood bags at Port Antonio, May Pen and Cornwall Regional collection centres.

"My problem is that I am hearing about it after it runs out," Spencer said, as he responded to questions from 'Nationwide' hosts Cliff Hughes and Carol Narcisse.

Outburst

Spencer said he was not aware that the blood drive would use expired bags, or that the blood bank would have to use private transport services to conduct the collection drive.

The minister's outburst was sparked by a Gleaner article reporting that the National Blood Transfusion Service (the Blood Bank) was facing a critical shortage of bags to store blood and the reagent needed to test the blood it collects. Some collection centres have had to turn away persons wishing to donate blood because they do not have the bags.