“Dugo Ko, Kabuhi Mo”

saving lives through voluntary blood donation

Southwestern Aklan Interlocal Health Zone personnel with Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) Aklan during the bloodletting activity recently at the ABL Sports Complex, Makato, Aklan, Picture at left.

While health is indeed an individual right of a person, still people from developing countries like the Philippines, especially those coming from the poor and underprivileged sector oftentimes consider it a luxury to submit to regular medical evaluation of their physical conditions due to economic or financial constraint. Because of this, they are eventually deprived of the medical attention they directly need when medical problems prevail.
Relative to this, the government conducted assessment of the conditions affecting the lives of the people to be able to develop programs aptly perceived to be most effective for various medical problems usually confronting them.
In Aklan, observations of actual life situations indicated that one of the most prevalent problems confronted by patients when they come to the hospital for treatment of cases where the need for blood transfusion is necessary is the gnawing fact that there is indeed insufficient supply of the life saving fluid to prolong the lives of their loved ones.
It is in this light that the Interlocal Health Zone I-B has conceptualized the "Dugo Ko, Kabuhi Mo" project which aims to find the best solution to the aforementioned problem.
On February 27, 2007, people from the towns of Numancia, Makato, Lezo, Malinao and Madalag came to the Augusto B. Legaspi, Sr. Sports Complex in Makato, Aklan to voluntarily donate blood in support of this noble project. Logistics and technical assistance were provided by a team from the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), Aklan Chapter, while other needed resources were given by the member municipalities as part of their annual health development plan. Blood donors were given priority cards from the PNRC so they can avail of maximum services from the agency in case they need it in the future. Collected blood units are stored for safekeeping in the PNRC office laboratory, Kalibo for the benefit not only for the people of the participating towns but for all parts of Aklan as well.
The primary objective of the "Dugo Ko, Kabuhi Mo" project is not only to sustain the availability of blood supply in the PNRC Blood Bank, but also to ensure that complications like Hepatitis, HIV/AIDS and other life threatening conditions usually brought about by blood transfusions from unknown and or infected sources are likewise prevented.
This project is carried out in compliance with the memorandum issued by Regional director Lydia Depra–Ramos of the Center of Health Development Western Visayas wherein all chiefs of private, district and provincial hospitals are directed to uphold the validity of R.A. 7719 otherwise known as the "National Blood Service Act of 1994" and the lifting of the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) for Commercial Blood Banks. The memorandum also reiterated the order prohibiting all concerned health officials to accept blood units from Commercial Blood Banks.
The positive outcome of the project signifies an effective advocacy program on the part of the organizers in awakening their constituents to the importance of the project to the community in general. /MP