A total of 83 blood units were generated after the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) conducted a bloodletting activity to boost blood reserves in the country.
The PRC noted that donating blood is essential because it helps patients survive pregnancy complications, dengue, accident injuries, and surgical and cancer treatment.
PRC maintains a steady supply of blood products from the generosity of its donors and bloodletting activities that gather these donors.
“Ang dugo ay hindi pwedeng i-manufacture ng tao. Tanging mga donasyon ng dugo ang maaari lamang pagkuhanan ng dugo ng mga nangangailangan nito (We cannot manufacture blood. We can only generate blood through donations),” PRC Chairman and CEO Richard J. Gordon said as he thanked the PCSO for joining the PRC in the blood donation activity.
For her part, PRC Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang recognized the strong and long partnership between the PRC and the PCSO.
Pang also encouraged the public to donate blood and reiterated the importance of donating blood.
Meanwhile, PCSO General Manager Melquiades Robles, mentioned that PCSO’s reason for partnering with and supporting PRC’s blood donation activities is because of their “parallel and aligned mission” of helping people.
The PCSO is a longtime member of PRC’s Blood Samaritan Program, a program that aims to seek kind-hearted individuals and groups that are willing to provide financial donations to cover the payment of blood processing fees of indigent patients.
From January 1 to December 31, 2022, the PRC National Blood Services collected 448,928 units of blood from 400,955 donors. As of January 18, 2023, the PRC dispensed 13,938 units of blood.
For blood donations, blood requests, and other inquiries, email the PRC National Blood Services at nbs.recruitment@redcross.org.ph or contact the PRC Blood Call Center, which may be reached nationwide by dialing 143. -30-