Campania hospitals hit hardest as Italy's blood stocks run critically low

Italy's national blood centre has issued an urgent appeal for donors after warning that stocks were running critically low nationwide, with hospitals in Lazio, Campania and Sicily worst affected, according to The Local Italy.

The summer period has traditionally been a difficult time for blood donations in Italy, as regular donors travel or take holidays and collection rates drop just as demand from hospitals continues unabated.

The appeal comes as the country heads into September, a month that typically sees surgical schedules resume in full after the summer slowdown, putting additional pressure on already strained supplies.