Sixteen town and city mayors, and hundreds of barangay captains, received recognition from the regional office of the Department of Health for initiating blood-letting drives in their localities during the agency’s Dugong Bicol Awards.
Awardees include the mayors of Tabaco city and Tiwi in Albay, Naga city, Ragay, Sipocot, Cabusao, San Fernando, Milaor, Camaligan, Canaman, Magarao, Bombon, San Jose, Tinambac, Bula and San Fernando in Camarines Sur.
The head of the Regional Voluntary Blood Service Program, Dr. Janish Alcala, said alos conferred the award were hundreds of baranga captains from Gubat, Pilar, Donsol, Prieto Diaz, Casiguran and Matnog in Sorsogon; Bagamanoc and Virac in Catanduanes; San Pascual in Masbate; Legazpi city, Tabaco city, Libon, Camalig, Malinao, Guinobatan, Tiwi, Ligao City, Manito, Oas, Rapu-Rapu, Sto. Domingo and Polangui in Albay; Ragay, Sipocot, Lupi, Cabusao, Libmanan, San Fernando, Pamplona, Minalabac, Milaor, Camaligan, Canaman, Magarao, Bombon, Calabanga, Pili, Ocampo, Tigaon, San Jose, Sagnay, Lagonoy, Siruma, Baao, Tinambac, Bula, Bato, Buhi, and Naga City in Camarines Sur.
Said local government units qualify for the award having achieved at least one percent of its qualified residents as volunteer-donors and initiated the blood donation activity.
According to Alcala, the DOH-Regional Blood Center targets to collect the equivalent of one percent of the entire population of the region which is the estimated blood supply requirement in the region which would translate to about 55,000 blood units.
All blood collected from donors are subjected to strict screening process to ensure these are free from the five highly contagious diseases which include HIV, Hepatitis B and C, syphilis and malaria. Hepatitis B is the most common disease detected from the blood collected from donors, Alcala said.
The blood center targets to collect the equivalent of one percent of the entire population of the region, which is the estimated blood supply requirement in the area translates to about 55,000 blood units.
The agency was able to collect about 34,000 units. Each unit is 450 cc of blood. Between 40 to 60 units of blood are needed daily by patients based on the requests being received by the center, Alcala said.
The blood supply is given free by the center but the recipient is required to shoulder the cost of the screening which amounts to P1,500 per one bag of 450 cc. Patients intending to obtain blood from the center must present a doctor’s request and a referral from the rural health unit or the local government.
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