Initiatives to resolve the “Greek paradox”, “on the one hand to be the first in the world to donate blood, to collect more bottles of blood than we need and at the same time to be forced to import tens of thousands of bottles of blood each yearannounced the Minister of Health, Adonis Georgiadis, in response to a relevant topical question of the KKE MP, Giorgos Lambroulis.

The minister noted that the case of Greece has reached “to be scientifically studied internationally”: To have “a very large voluntary blood donation in Greece, percentage-wise for our population to have the largest collection of blood from volunteers throughout the planet Earth, to collect more bottles of blood than we need at the time, and while they are happening these, we are forced to import tens of thousands of bottles of blood every year”. This is the Greek paradox, which, as Mr. Georgiadis said, “I have set out to solve».

As he announced, “in the next few days we will present with Mr. Themistokleous a new plan, in which the National Blood Donation Center (EKEA) will have a central management role in the disposal of blood bottles. Because the answer to the riddle is, that too many bottles of blood collected in the various hospitals are not used and we throw them away, while we need them elsewhere».

Mr. Georgiadis reserved for now to say more about the plan, referring to the statements that will be made during its overall presentation.
Especially for the patients with Mediterranean anemia, to whom the questioning member of the KKE had previously referred, the minister emphasized that “there is no compulsion on their relatives to donate blood. They are simply, indeed, being kindly recommended, but not forced. If we lack blood bottles, we bring bottles from abroad. A question of coercion, at least as stated, no, it doesn’t exist.”

KKE Member of Parliament, Giorgos Lambroulis, for his part pointed out that unfortunately, this “Greek paradox” remains, and is especially exacerbated when it comes to hypotransfusion of patients with Mediterranean anemia.

He attributed this situation to the periodic shortages of blood, but also to the fact that the required number of infrastructures, blood donation units, Mediterranean anemia departments, has not been developed with exclusive funding from the state budget, to cover all the needs nationwide, because even existing departments remain severely understaffed with layoffs.

The MP emphasized that “the responsibilities arising from the shortcomings of the system as it relates more closely to the issue of transfusions are transferred to the patients and their relatives. And ‘coercion’, as a word may indeed sound heavy, or have a morally heavy semiotics, but it is done. When you don’t have blood and you have your child or your person who is suffering, what will you do? They force you to run, beg, find, even pay!” commented the KKE member of parliament.