Manx rule change to allow gay men to give blood

The eligibility criteria to give blood will mirror that in the UK

Changes to rules that will allow gay men to give blood on Isle of Man will be brought in from 1 June.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) agreed to update the rules following a call from Manx Netflix actor Joe Locke last year.

A government spokeswoman said eligibility to donate would "now be based solely on an assessment of their individual experiences".

All donors, regardless of their sexuality or gender, would go through the same screening process, she added.

In the UK, men who have not had sex with another man for three months, or have had the same sexual partner for the same period are allowed to donate.

Under the previous system in the island men who had had sex with men were banned from ever giving blood.

'Lifesaving care'

Health Minister Lawrie Hooper said making the island's donation policy "fairer and more inclusive was important to us and to our community".

"Without people donating blood we wouldn’t be able to provide some of the lifesaving care that helps patients survive traumatic injuries, surgeries or chronic illnesses," he added.

The DHSC has also introduced Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing (NAAT) to screen blood for HIV and other blood-borne viruses such as Hepatitis B, C and E prior to it being used in a transfusion.

Manx Care's interim executive medical director Marina Hudson said changing the blood donation eligibility and screening process had been "something we have been striving to do for a long time".

The health care provider continued to "follow the most stringent screening and testing guidelines both prior to and following donation", she said.