Health Minister David Ashford says it is time to review the rules that restrict gay men from giving blood in the island.

In the UK the NHS is using a new screening technology for HIV, which allows it to accept blood donations from men who have sex with other men.

Mr Ashford said: ’The Isle of Man is in the process of implementing the same testing for our donors and when this is in place we will be in a position to re-evaluate our donor selection criteria.

’The policy has been long overdue for review.

’It is important that we do not exclude people unnecessarily.’

Under current Isle of Man rules, you are not allowed to give blood if you have ever had syphilis, HTLV (Human T Cell Lymphotropic Virus), HIV or Hepatitis C; are a man who has had anal or oral sex with another man; have ever worked as a commercial sex worker; have ever injected yourself with drugs.

Anomalous

The issue was raised in the House of Keys on Tuesday by Dr Alex Allinson (Ramsey), who welcomed Mr Ashford’s commitment to review the criteria .

’It seems anomalous that in 2011 the UK moved for the deferral from indefinite to 12 months and, in 2017, down to three months,’ said Dr Allinson.

By excluding men who have ever had sex with men from giving blood it was ’excluding people who could benefit, particularly in terms of platelets and rare blood groups, by donating blood’.

Other exemption criteria state you should not give blood for 12 months after sex with: a man who has sex with another man (if you’re a female); a commercial sex worker; anyone who has ever injected themselves with drugs; anyone with haemophilia or a related blood clotting disorder who has received clotting factor concentrates; anyone who has been sexually active in parts of the world where AIDS/HIV is very common.