The Department of Health Bicol Center for Health Development is intensifying its call for voluntary blood donors in response to the growing demands for blood supply.
In a press conference recently, Bicol South Luzon Sub National Reference Laboratory (BSL SNRL) – Blood Center Blood Donor Recruitment Officer, Ms. Nicole Anne Bejo, stated that the DOH Bicol, together with the two lead Blood Service Facilities in the region– the BSL SNRL – Blood Center and the Bicol Medical Center–are targeting to collect 63,665 blood units, or at least 1% of the total population, for 2026.
This is to maintain sufficient supply in the entire region essential for transfusions and treating medical emergencies including surgeries, traumas, cancer patients, and victims of vehicular accidents.
The 1% blood collection target of BSL-SNRL covers Albay, Sorsogon, Catanduanes and Masbate, with the two Camarines provinces covered by Bicol Medical Center.
In 2024, Bejo reported, 32,699 bags out of 3,552,542 population in Bicol were generated in blood donation drives for 0.92%, up from just 0.36% in 2020.
Last year, from January to October, the campaign produced a total of 33,420 bags, good for 0.96%, with the demand for blood products still rising.
The Intensified blood donation campaign is dubbed “Dugong Bigay, Dugtong Buhay.”
Bejo said that for the monthly schedule of open-heart surgery in the Bicol region, 16 units of blood per patient are needed, with the surgeries benefitting at most five (5) patients.
“The foundation of safe and sufficient blood supply is voluntary blood donation from low-risk population who are healthy,” she stressed.
The donated blood are used for trauma and road accidents, obstetrics, orthopedic, other medical problems, surgical, patients with anemia, cancer patients and blood diseases.
Dr. Rosa Maria B. Rempillo, DOH Bicol OIC-Regional Director, cited that as of early this year, the region has recorded a notable decline in blood supply, which is commonly observed as a lean period for donations.
Dr. Rempillo emphasized the urgent need to make blood donation drives a public health priority, calling upon the media, local leaders, and civil society organizations to continuously promote and raise public awareness in order to reinforce the health system’s ability to address supply gaps and engender better health outcomes.
While donating blood provides a wide range of health advantages to donors, this altruistic cause weaves a culture of social responsibility, inspiring individuals to serve as life-saving stewards in their communities.
For those who are interested in donating, the DOH Bicol advises the public to visit the blood center of BSL SNRL or BMC. They may also coordinate with their local health offices for updates regarding any mobile and community-based blood donation activities (DOH5/MJCLB).
The blood is free but DOH blood service facilities collects blood service fees: at a maximum of P1,800 for whole blood; P1,500 for packed RBCs; and P1,000 per bag for other blood components like platelet concentrate, fresh frozen plasma, cryoprecipitate, and cryosupernate.
The fee covers testing for five (5) transfusion transmissible infectious diseases like HIV, syphilis and malaria, and hepatitis B and C, as well as the cost of the blood bag.