Non-Emergency operations may not go ahead because of "critically low" stocks of blood supply, Ms Roisin Shortall (Lab, Dublin North West) told the Dail.

Blood products were having to be imported from the Netherlands to see the health service over the latest crisis in the levels of blood supply.

Ms Shortall called on the Government to make funding available immediately for a major advertising drive over the coming week and said the Blood Transfusion Service Board (BTSB) should implement a strategy to increase the supply.

"Our hospitals and health services depend on an ample supply of quality blood products. Without adequate blood supplies, the jobs of medical staff in our hospitals are made more difficult and, in some cases, it is quite possible that the lives of people could be put in danger," she said.

The problems stemmed from the dearth of public confidence in the BTSB and the blood supply which resulted from the hepatitis C scandal, Ms Shortall said.

The drastic reduction in the numbers of blood donations by members of the public must be curbed immediately. Otherwise it will further undermine the role of the blood bank and affect the day-to-day work being carried out in hospitals.

The Minister of State for Health, Dr Tom Moffatt, said patients undergoing emergency surgery must be given priority and that all urgent blood requirements were being, and would continue to be, met.

The national medical director of the BTSB had advised hospitals that the blood supply situation had improved and he anticipated that supplies would be back to normal early next week.

An advertisement campaign in the media was being launched by the BTSB this week which would focus on patients, who were the ultimate beneficiaries of blood donations.

Additional donor clinics were being held at Pelican House today and tomorrow and arrangements had been made to import 250 units of blood from the Netherlands every week for the next four weeks, Dr Moffatt said.

A national donor services manager had recently been appointed who would develop safe, efficient and cost-effective services to ensure the collection of sufficient blood and blood components to meet the requirements of hospitals.