100T people in region need blood

CEBU, Philippines - Health officials yesterday announced that of the five million people in Central Visayas, two per cent of them or 100,000 are in need of blood that is why the government’s blood coordinating center is requesting the public to donate blood to help save lives.

Dr. Sophia Mancao, the regional blood program coordinator of the Department of Health-7, is encouraging the public to help solve the lack of blood supply saying every minute of every day someone needs blood.

Mancao said the government discourages the selling of blood that is why the Department of Health has advised the different laboratories to ban or not to accept commercial blood donors.

However, there is no concrete method implemented by the DOH to prevent commercial blood donors from selling blood to anybody in urgent need of a blood transfusion.

She advised the patients’ relatives to get their blood supply from persons of their choice like their relatives or close friends, rather than buy blood from commercial blood donors.

Mancao described persons who donate blood to others as modern day heroes who care enough to share their blood and spend their time in order to save another person’s life.

A person can donate his blood once in every three months if he is at least 110 pounds in weight and if the laboratory tests show that he is free from any kind of ailment such as high blood pressure, severe lung disease, HIV infection and other sexually-transmitted disease.

Before a person will be extracted of his blood he or she shall be asked for his or her health history and examined first by taking a small sample to check the blood type and hemoglobin level because only those with at least 125 grams of hemoglobin can be allowed to donate blood.

Mancao said blood donors should not be afraid of losing blood because the volume of fluid taken is completely replaced by the body within three to five hours after drinking more fluids.

Those who wish to donate blood are advised to proceed to the Philippine National Red Cross, DOH hospitals, Philippine Blood Center where they will be given cards that they can also use if they are in need of blood in the future. — THE FREEMAN