MOUs signed to promote blood donation
MORE than 20 local government units (LGUs) have partnered with the Region One Medical Center (R1MC) to promote and expand voluntary blood donation in the province.
The signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) last July 1, made in conjunction with the observance of the National Blood Donors Month, aims to establish closer links between city and municipal governments with the government-owned R1MC in providing sufficient supply of blood units for patients in Pangasinan.
The LGUs that signed the MOU were the cities of Dagupan and San Carlos and the towns of Villasis, Asingan, San Nicolas, Lingayen, Binmaley, Natividad, Balungao, Laoac, Sison, Aguilar, Calasiao, Bani, San Fabian, San Jacinto, Mangatarem, Umingan, Anda and Mangaldan.
Lurdel Posadas, a medical technologist from R1MC, pointed out that even before the MOU, some LGUs already maintained ties with the hospital through mobile blood donations.
Based on World Health Organization (WHO) standards, a government facility must have a blood supply equivalent to at least one percent of the total population.
Given Pangasinan’s population of more than two million, R1MC should have more than 20,000 blood units per year to meet the WHO standard. In 2012, R1MC collected more than 10,000 blood units.
While Posadas said the hospital has enough blood supply for patients and others in need of blood transfusion, the blood units easily diminish since R1MC caters to patients from other provinces as well.
The benefit to the LGUs that signed the MOU is to see its residents given priority in case of need for blood units.
“For transparency’s sake and monitoring we will update the LGUs monthly on their records of blood donations with us,” Posadas said.—Dada Martin Austria
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