Oct 20, 2026, 13:20

The Global Blood Crisis – Are We Solving the Wrong Problem?

Blood and plasma supply shortages remain a critical global health challenge, with significant implications for transfusion medicine, the availability of plasma-derived medicinal products, and equitable access to life-saving therapies.

Despite advances in donor recruitment and collection practices, ensuring a reliable and sustainable supply continues to require substantial investment in collection infrastructure, effective governance, long-term strategic planning, and coordination between blood services and plasma collection programmes.

These challenges are particularly pronounced in low- and middle-income countries, where limited collection capacity and unequal access to essential therapies further complicate efforts to meet patient needs. Addressing these systemic barriers is essential to strengthening global blood and plasma security and ensuring the sustainable availability of these vital medical resources.

In this episode of Hemostasis Today TV, hematology resident Maretta Aleksanyan speaks with David McIntosh, former Chief Executive of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service and an independent healthcare advocate, about the structural challenges behind persistent blood and plasma shortages and the need to rethink how countries secure these essential resources.

Drawing on his experience in blood services and healthcare advocacy, David McIntosh challenges the assumption that increasing donor numbers alone can resolve supply shortages.

He highlights the importance of investment in collection infrastructure, political commitment, and stronger coordination between blood services and plasma collection programmes.

The conversation explores how countries can build sustainable collection systems, whether regional cooperation could improve access to plasma-derived medicines, and how different approaches to donor recruitment and compensation influence supply strategies.

It also addresses the challenges facing low- and middle-income countries and the need for global health policies that prioritise equitable access to essential treatments.

At its core, the interview raises a fundamental question:

Are blood and plasma shortages primarily a problem of donor availability, or a failure to build systems capable of meeting patients’ needs?

Watch the full interview on Hemostasis Today TV.

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Blood Blood donation David McIntosh Global Blood Headlines Health Hematology Hemostasis Hemostasis News Hemostasis Today Medicine Plasma Donation Transfusion Medicine

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