DOH calls on public to donate blood regularly

MANILA, Philippines - With the demand for blood expected to rise this rainy season due to possible dengue outbreaks, the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday called on the public to donate blood regularly.

“We need to maintain safe, quality, and accessible blood supply and to do that more people are needed to donate blood,” Health Secretary Enrique Ona said in a statement.

The call was made in line with this month’s celebration of National Blood Donor’s Month, as mandated by Presidential Proclamation 1021 issued in 1997.

Ona gave assurance that there is nothing to fear when donating blood because the old blood is actually replaced by fresh blood every three months.

“Giving blood is giving the most precious gift to another person: the gift that will extend the life of the sick while at the same time, re-invigorate the giver. We do not lose blood when we give because as we donate blood, we re-fill our bodies with new and fresher blood,” Ona said.

The DOH and the Philippine Red Cross have been advocating voluntary blood donation in line with Republic Act 7719 or the National Blood Services Act of 1994.

The legislation was passed to put an end to the spread of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which was discovered a decade earlier then, and other blood-borne diseases.

Under the law, collected blood is being tested for syphilis, malaria, Hepatitis B and C and HIV to ensure its safety before transfusion.