The Department of Health (DoH) and other national blood organizations yesterday launched the National Blood Olympics in a move to stimulate voluntary blood donation among the youth.
Colleges and universities in Metro Manila will vie for the most number of blood bags donated for a cause. The DOH, in cooperation with the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), Blood Galloners Club (BGC), and the Philippine Blood Coordinating council (PBCC), will supervise the competition which starts in October. It will be participated in by students 16-25 years old.
Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit said that the National Blood Olympics is a way to attract the youth to donate blood until it becomes a practice. The country’s blood centers lack about 100,000 units of blood yearly. The blood organizations aim to increase the blood collection by 10 percent from the usual 500,000 blood units collected annually.
“With the National Blood Olympics, we hope to change their lifestyle by introducing them to blood donation while they’re still young. Hopefully, when they grow older, they would still actively donate blood,” Dayrit said.
PNRC chairperson on blood service committee, Rosa Rosal cited the participation of students of the Technological University of the Philippines (TUP) who have been donating blood for 10 years now.
About 1,000 to 1,500 bags of blood from students are collected from the school yearly.
“The demand for blood nowadays is more than the supply. The Red Cross has 120,000 regular blood donors, but the demand is always there. That’s why we want to encourage people to voluntarily donate blood to help save lives” Rosal said.
Transfusion of blood is usually for those who have undergone major surgical operations, children with severe anemia, accident victims, cancer patients, and women with pregnancy complications.
Blood donors will undergo test to determine whether they are fit to donate blood. About 10 percent of the total blood or 450 ml will be taken from the donor. The quantity of donated blood will be replenished in 36 hours.
Blood may be donated by healthy persons between the ages of 16 and 65.
Aside from blood-letting activities, the National Blood Olympics will also award medals and trophies in competitions for cheering, poster-making and jingle-writing, focusing on the same theme. (JM)
