ILOILO – The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) – Iloilo Chapter encourages the public to donate blood.
From Jan. 1 to Nov. 27 of this year, PRC-Iloilo collected more than 24,400 blood units which benefited 33,000 individuals, said Dr. Carlo Nolan Carado, blood center manager of PRC-Iloilo.
Carado is confident they will achieve their target blood collection for this year – 25,700 blood units.
Several local government units (LGUs) in Iloilo province coordinated with PRC-Iloilo to conduct bloodletting activities this December.
Carado said they also target having blood donors make up at least one percent of the total population of each LGU.
The PRC-Iloilo manager also shared that most LGUs have achieved this compared to 2021, when only 24,000 blood units were collected.
The top two LGUs in blood donation are Passi City and Cabatuan.
“Puede pa ang iban nga municipalities nga makahabol para maka-reach sang ila nga one percent of the total population,” said Carado.
LGUs that want to conduct a bloodletting may coordinate with PRC-Iloilo to augment nurses and medical technologists.
This year, Carado observed that many district hospitals, including city hospitals, requested blood for dengue patients.
According to Carado, people from 18 up to 60 years old can donate blood, while those 16 to 17 years old may also donate with consent from their parents.
He said a blood donor must not have consumed alcohol for 24 hours prior to the donation, must have slept for at least six hours prior to the donation, must have eaten a meal prior to the donation, and must be in good health.
PRC-Iloilo is calling not just the LGUs but also the national government agencies, non-government organizations, private companies, and the community for blood donation.
Donors may coordinate with PRC-Iloilo located at the Bonifacio Drive, Iloilo City, or with concerned LGUs./PN
