THE BAN on gay and bisexual men giving blood could be reversed after a review was secured by the Wales Green Party and Welsh Green Pride.

It comes after the leaders of the two organisations met with deputy chief medical officer, Dr Chris Jones, and policy leads for All Blood Service Wales and Organ Donation Service in Wales.

The meeting invitation came from Mark Drakeford, minister for health and social services, following an online petition from Welsh Greens.

Wales Green party leader Pippa Bartolotti, of Newport, and Welsh Green Pride organiser Adam Smith asked for a review on the current ban which excludes any LGBTIQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex & Queer) people who have had sexual relations in the past 12 months from donating blood.

Adam Smith, Welsh Green Pride organiser, has been strongly campaigning to reduce or remove the blood ban.

Mr Smith said, “During the campaign we received a clear message. Almost everyone we spoke to confirmed that there was an urgent need to review this blood ban.

"There has been a massive 40 per cent decline in blood donations, and every drop counts.

“We attended this meeting with the hope of a review, especially now with advances in technology and research. New medical research has found us a cure for Hepatitis C, and new HIV test kits can show up infection in only four weeks. So far these tests are only available in Scotland and England."

Dr Chris Jones welcomed the following recommendations that were put forward by Welsh Green Pride: 1) That gay, bisexual men or women with bisexual partners who wish to donate blood are tested for HIV and Hepatitis C. The results will decide if they can or cannot donate blood.

2) Making these tests available to potential donors will allow for more timely treatment for those affected.

3) That every case is dealt with individually, taking into account that most gay and bisexual men have protected sex.

4) That the ban is reduced to three months, in line with National Aids Trust recommendations. This will confirm that the Welsh Government is listening to the LGBTIQ+ community, while still putting health first.

The deputy chief medical officer agreed to a review of the blood ban and will ask the Committee for the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) to consider the Welsh Green Pride recommendations, which will also be put to the health minister.

The minister stated in a letter: “I want to ensure that as many people as possible are able to donate blood to meet the demand from patients. As I have said in correspondence with Assembly Members I, personally, share the belief that the current blood donation rules may be out of date and in need of revision. I certainly agree that the system must be free of judgemental and discriminatory decision making.”