MANILA — The Quezon City Council is urging the city health department, QC General Hospital and the Novaliches District Hospital to come up with a blood donation program and establish a blood bank to provide safe blood to residents in need of transfusion.
This move is incorporated in the City Resolution 7207-2017 which was introduced by Councilor Alexis Herrera.
In an interview Wednesday with the Philippine News Agency (PNA), Hererra said the council wants the local government to institutionalize blood donation which can help residents who are in dire need of blood transfusion.
“Especially, we have the most number of population in Metro Manila…There are blood letting projects in partnership with Red Cross and other institutions but there is no city-run program,” he said.
Herrera said his office usually receives requests from netizens who need blood for their family members. Herrera’s office only refers them to Red Cross when there is no available supply in the city’s blood bank.
If the city would have a blood donation program and a blood bank, he said “we will be able to encourage people to also donate blood even in advance.”
Hererra said that with the blood donation program donors would be assured of having blood supply in case of an emergency requiring blood transfusion.
“Parang red cross di ba meron silang ID system na meron ka nang donation so you can claim blood anytime, gusto natin maging model ang Red Cross. (Like Red Cross right they have ID system when you have donation you can claim blood anytime, we want Red Cross to be our model,” he said.
Apart from an ID system patterned after Red Cross, the program would include the establishment of a new department or office in city hospitals which will handle the donation process appropriately.
Asiatico said the program needs to be supported by the local government because it can help prevent blood sourcing from fly by night blood banks and the spread of communicable diseases like HIV infection.
Hererra said he believes the city government has the budget and “very capable of pushing for the project”.
The resolution is anchored on Republic Act 7719, otherwise known as the “National Blood Services Act of 1994”, which promotes voluntary blood donation to provide sufficient supply of safe blood and to regulate blood banks. It also promotes public awareness that blood donation is a humanitarian act. (Ma. Teresa Montemayor/PNA)
