Hansard

Thank you, Presiding Officer. I look forward to you notifying members when you have given blood, because that is the proof of the pudding and the need is for people to do it.

I congratulate Fulton MacGregor on securing the debate, which is important. I also congratulate him on his donations to date. I look forward to seeing him wearing the much-cherished silver 25-donation badge and perhaps go on to get the gold badge and emerald badge, which we should all aspire to do if we can.

It is right that we celebrate and recognise the pioneering efforts of the people who established the means of blood transfusion, which has gone on to save countless lives. As Fulton MacGregor said, the first successful human blood transfusion took place in Edinburgh in, I think, 1818. The first blood transfusion service was also established in Edinburgh in 1930. I struggle to imagine what it was like in those early transfusion days, when I suspect that there was no comfy bed or tea and biscuits afterwards. Let us be honest: I also suspect that the extraction methods could be described—[Inaudible.]—than the wee scratch, or whatever the current euphemism is, that we are told it is today.

In the early days, the service relied on an emergency panel of donors who came forward at times of a particular patient’s need. That is not dissimilar to how I gave my first donation. As a soldier, I was ordered to attend a donation event. That great, if perhaps illegal, order led me to become a donor for as long as I am medically fit. Clearly, the service was nothing like it is today, with volunteer donations of blood being provided regularly at transfusion centres and mobile units throughout Scotland.

As the medical service progressed and operations became more complex, there was a need for far more national co-ordination across the United Kingdom. That co-operation by all four nations of the United Kingdom remains critical. At the time of devolution, the UK blood transfusion forum was established. It establishes a unity of purpose across the four nations, and it recognises that it is vital for all UK nations to ensure a good quality of supply and that the blood supplies are safe and available for all.

This country has a proud story to tell when it comes to developing blood transfusion services. However, we cannot ignore the fact that the number of blood donations in Scotland has fallen to the lowest level at any point this century. As Fulton MacGregor said, we should never forget that many patients owe their lives to the people who donate blood, but there were 13,000 fewer donations last year.

I also believe that blood supplies have dropped significantly. There is only six days’ supply of the rarest blood—[Inaudible.]—which is of concern, as that is the absolute minimum that is required to meet patient needs across Scotland.

As Fulton MacGregor said, we need to encourage more donations. It is a simple and painless process. Indeed, it is also therapeutic, because when we give blood, we are giving someone else life that, without that blood, they would be denied. In the 20 minutes that it takes to donate, we are giving a gift that is beyond monetary value. It is perhaps one of the most generous gifts that we can give in our lives.

Giving blood is a very simple act of generosity that can truly save lives. As that generosity is needed now more than ever, I whole-heartedly support the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service’s appeal for more donors to come forward, and I encourage everyone who can do so to give blood. Who knows? Our own lives might one day rely on the gift of blood that a donor has generously given.