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Share Life, give blood – Red Cross volunteer administers a
blood donor during the Red Cross Blood Donor Recruitment and Mobile Blood
Donation at Dagupan City in celebration of the World Blood Donor Day on June
14. //Jojo Riñoza
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Dagupan City – In recent events surrounding deadly
mosquito-born diseases and natural calamities, one essential item is in mind besides
relief goods – blood supply.
Philippine Red Cross (PRC) volunteers and other volunteer
groups risk life and limbs helping others and in situations a patient or victim
needs blood, volunteers can’t do anything without its supply.
“A steady supply of blood is very vital in our cause”, says
Riza Rodriguez Peralta, Chairperson in Blood Service. In Pangasinan alone, we (PRC)
needs to maintain 120 bags of blood a day to meet the need of the whole
province and that is just in a “normal” day.”
A bag of blood can actually save lives of numerous people.
Each bag is tested and passes through a process depending on the needs of a
patient.
It is processed into three types; (1) Whole Blood or Red
cells that are used for surgery, dialysis, cesarean operations or patients with
anemia. This blood expires in 35 days. (2) Frozen Plasma is used for burn
patients or those with Hemophilia and expires in a year. The third is the (3) Platelet
concentrate – this type maybe the most vital as it crucial to patients with dengue
and also those with cancer. This expires after 5 days.
Because blood has expiration dates, “we should have a
continuous supply of blood donors and volunteers,” says Flormane Magalong, Red
Cross - Pangasinan Chapter Administrator
Blood sufficiency is the challenge because there is an
increase in demand but the supply (donors) is not enough. This is the reason why PRC is intensifying
blood donations, she added.
PRC also advocates the implementation of the National Blood Service
Act that encompasses education and awareness campaign between local governments
for the creation of blood council, blood donor recruitment, mobile blood
donation activities and on the importance of voluntary blood donation.
Recently, PRC - Pangasinan launches the “DUROLYMPICS 2:
Donor at Recruiter, yan and idol teacher” project, a blood-letting-awareness
program in partnership with the Department of Education and other civic groups.
The yearlong project joined by the five DEPED Divisions in
Pangasinan aims to “continuously help patients and have adequate and safe
supply of blood in times of need.”
Last year the project contributed 1,252 blood units and is
now targeting 3,000 bags of blood.
Participating teachers said bringing people to donate blood
is not an easy task. They said “Religion and ‘ignorance’ are hindrance on this”.
In some cases, people want to donate their blood but their religion forbids
them. Others have a wrong understanding about it that it might have bad effects
on them.
We hope by the teachers’ help as blood donors they can still
in the minds of their pupils the importance of donating blood in saving others
people lives, Magalong added.###
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