Tag Archives: World Blood Donor Day

Instilling the value of blood donation to students

I wonder what happened to the government program that aims to promote voluntary blood donation among young people.

About five years ago, health authorities said voluntary blood donation will be integrated to the lessons taught in public high school and state universities.

According to then Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, lessons about voluntary blood donation will help foster a positive attitude towards the sacrificial act.

The school-based program, if materializes, primarily seeks to encourage more volunteer blood donors.

In 2006, the partial blood collections in the Philippines were placed at 500,000 or 65 percent of the target.

At the time, the government intends to collect blood from 1 percent of the total 85 million population or 800,000 persons.

Safe blood supply, according the health experts, is especially needed during the lean months of April, May, June, November, December and January, when blood collection is low.

It was also around 2006 that the government through the National Voluntary Blood Services Program has started the centralization of blood testing and component processing in several blood centers in the country to ensure safety of donated blood.

Here are some of the blood centers that volunteer donors can visit. The Philippine Children’s Medical Center in Quezon City; the Bicol Blood Center in Legaspi City; the Region 7 Blood Center in Cebu for the Visayas; and the Davao Blood Center for Mindanao. (These list is not updated, there could be more blood centers that have been added to the list.)

The World Blood Donor Day is observed yearly to pay tribute to voluntary, unpaid donors who have saved the lives of those in need.

Donate blood, save lives

WORLD BLOOD DONOR DAY 2009 ON WORLD BLOOD DONOR DAY 2009, CONTINUE GIVING BLOOD – DUQUE
Today at 4:42pm
WORLD BLOOD DONOR DAY 2009
ON WORLD BLOOD DONOR DAY 2009, CONTINUE GIVING BLOOD – DUQUE

Press Release/8 June 2009

Health Secretary Francisco Duque today, urged the country’s voluntary donors to continue giving blood even as it joins the international community in celebrating World Blood Donor Day on June 14.

“Giving blood is like giving the most precious gift to another person: the gift that will help heal the sick, the gift that will re-invigorate the giver, the gift that will preserve life. We do not lose blood when we give some because blood regenerates itself. As we donate blood, we re-fill our bodies with new and fresher blood,” Duque said.

Duque also disclosed that the present gap in the country’s blood supply may soon be filled as some provinces have already achieved 100% voluntary blood donation, while Metro Manila reached an average of 90%.

The said 90% achievement of Metro Manila is the combined collection by the Philippine National Red Cross – National Blood Center, the Department of Health (DOH) – Philippine Blood Center and the different government hospitals.

According to records of the DOH-National Voluntary Blood Services Program (NVBSP), a total of 510,495 blood units were collected in 2006 where 72% of this amount came from volunteer blood donors and 28% from replacement donors. Last year, almost 85% of the blood donors were volunteers.

“This year, we are targeting a hundred percent voluntary blood donation in keeping with this year’s theme, which is, appropriately, 100% Voluntary Blood Donation”, Duque said.

In 2005, the World Health Assembly passed a resolution recognizing that volunteer blood donors who donate blood regularly are important in maintaining a safe, adequate and sustainable blood supply.

This year’s celebration has “100% Voluntary Blood Donation” as its theme and majority of activities will take place in Baguio City. World Blood Donor Day is an effort to commit the country’s volunteer blood donor to give blood more than once a year. This is also an opportunity for the government to congratulate these “givers of life” for their altruistic deed.

The World Blood Donor Day is spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO) which aims to emphasize the role blood donors play in saving lives and improving the health of millions.