Governor Yap encourages support to

Voluntary blood donation programs

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, April 17, (PIA)—Seeing the need for a healthy and prepositioned blood supply essential and integral to any public health emergency preparedness and response especially in times or coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis, Governor Arthur Yap encourages Boholanos to support the voluntary blood donation program amidst the pandemic.

Through Memorandum No. 02-2020, the governor encouraged all local government units, civil society organizations and private entities to support the voluntary blood donation program in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier, Bohol’s lead blood service collecting facility Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital blood bank has reported that their blood stocks, which are also given to hospitals elsewhere in Bohol, are on the critical level already, some blood types running only for a couple of days supply.

There is now an immediate and urgent need for blood and blood products brought about by the dramatic reduction in donations attributable to the cancellation of numerous scheduled blood drives across the province and the imposed social distancing measures, the governor in the memorandum said.

During a parallel activity with blood coordinators in Bohol, during the Kapihan sa PIA, Provincial health Office blood donation program coordinator Milagros Israel stressed the huge advantage of a voluntary blood donation over other kinds as voluntary blood donation assures phlebotomists of healthy and safe blood.

There were times then when patients who are in blood distress bring to hospitals donors who come from detention centers, where, in their living conditions and the insufficient exposure to sunlight, blood taken often are not as safe.

On this, the memo pointed out that, voluntary blood donors from community-based blood drives are considered the safest donors compared to other types of donors.

While blood banks need to keep an inventory of at least a week’s supply of red blood cell units, Bohol’s blood bank is getting anemic with barely two days of supply of some blood types, according to blood bank nurse Nickson Felix Epe. 

With the call for support running right smack with community quarantines and its implemented anti-COVID measures, DOH explains that community based blood drives are planned and purposive DOH activities to ensure an adequate supply of blood.

In his memorandum, the governor also requested police and military authorities to allow safe and speedy passage of blood donors wherever applicable.

Over this, blood donation activities, owing to the community quarantine, are now only for 50 donors per activity and would only last for four hours, EPE said, citing DOH Memorandum 2020-124.

In the duration of the blood-letting, donors are advised not to come all together at the same time, to follow social distancing and to protect themselves from contamination while in transit.

While community blood drives are encouraged, prospective donors who could be available, may donate anytime at the GCGMH blood bank, according to Epe.

He however advised that prior to coming to the blood service facility, donors should set an appointment, to make sure that donors need not stay for long and wait for their turn.

Appointments to donate blood can be done online, via Gallares Hospital Blood Bank facebook page, where the donor can get his best time to come to the hospital with less hassle. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol)

KEEPING THE ECONOMIC BLOOD FLOWING. While the need to restock on blood supply for emergency preparedness has been the content of Bohol Governor Yap’s memorandum, he also did ensure that the low of economic blood continues as he consulted with fish vendors whose debts from the usurious lending agencies are beginning to bloat with community quarantines on. (PIABohol/photo Prime Bohol)