Rasbert Turner, Gleaner Writer

Food For the Poor (FFP) made a massive donation to the Ministry of Health yesterday, cauterising a shortage of blood bags by handing over 6,852 of them.

The charity institution also gave the National Blood Transfusion Centre 60 suction machines.

The donation, valued at approximately $5.2 million, was handed over at Food For The Poor's offices in Spanish Town, St Catherine.

Lyttleton 'Tanny' Shirley, chairman of the South East Regional Health Authority, called the donation timely.

"This donation illustrates the great collaboration between the charitable agency and the Ministry of Health in a time of a great need," Shirley told The Gleaner.

The chairman also said the bags would help for at least the next two months.

FFP's chief executive officer, Ryan Peralto, said:

"We think that where there is a need to do service, especially where it has national implications then it is our duty to assist, so we are glad to help."

Irresponsible story

The Gleaner had let the cat out of the bag two weeks ago, revealing a severe shortage of blood bags and the reagent needed in the blood-collection process. At the time, Rudyard Spencer, health minister, had said the story was irresponsible but had to later recant as his checks proved the newspaper right.

Since that time, blood bags were to have been shipped to Jamaica from Trinidad and Tobago.