DOH7 Asks LGUs to Support Blood Donation Campaign

The regional health office in Central Visayas on Wednesday asked local government units(LGUs) to help its program on educating the community folks regarding voluntary blood donations.

Regional Director Jaime S. Bernadas of the Department of Health (DOH) 7 during the “Kapihan sa PIA” conducted at the DOH 7 office, said they are advocating this program considering the fact that the government’s blood center lacks blood supplies.

To prove this, Bernada said the Regional Blood Center (RBC) always have to ask from the relative of a hospital patient who needs blood transfusion to donate the same type of blood their patient needs every now and then.

He cited the lack of knowledge about the importance of blood donations as one of the reasons why most of the people are “lax and confused” on how to donate their blood.

Bernadas said this is the reason why they rallied all city and municipal officials to help the DOH on circulating the good news about blood donations.

The DOH 7 regional chief explained that blood is life and that donating blood is equivalent to saving lives.

However, Bernadas, a doctor by profession, said that there are some requirements to follow for anybody who wants to donate their blood to the government’s blood center. He reminds all qualified blood donors to eat their meals at least four hours before blood transfusion to maintain energy before and after the operation.

All donors must also have enough rest the night before a blood donation occurs, according to Bernadas. Blood donations is one way of taking care of the donor’s health, according to Bernadas.

“Because every time you have to transfuse your blood for blood donations,a fresh blood from your body immediately replaces your red blood cells”, he said.

He also said that an individual is qualified to become blood donor if he possesses the best of health.

“Meaning he has no hypertension but instead maintains normal blood pressure,” Bernadas said.

Bernadas also discouraged all illegal drug users from donating their blood because they are obviously not qualified to do so.

The DOH 7 is hoping that with the support of LGUs on their blood donations campaign, the lack of blood supply will be addressed.