HOW ABOUT BLOOD DONATION BUSES?

HOW ABOUT BLOOD DONATION BUSES?

Dear Mr. President: I have observed that the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and the Philippine Blood Center (PBC) are both doing a good job in collecting blood from donors and providing these to those who need them in both public and private hospitals. Although PBC is lesser known compared to PRC, I know that it is not less reliable than PRC, because I have personally tried and tested them over the years whenever an indigent patient needs blood. Kudos to former PBC Director Dr. Bobong Tagayuna and incumbent PBC Director Dr. Dennis Dayao Ordona.

Aside from PRC and PBC, Dugong Alay Dugtong Buhay (DADB) is also an efficient and reliable provider of blood to those who need them. DADB has a unique system of collecting them from donors and donating these to their participating hospitals who have their own blood banks. In other words, DADB may not have their own blood banks, but whenever anyone needs blood in any hospital, they could request the nearest participating hospital to provide the blood. DADB was founded by the late Napoleon Marilag, but the NGO is now run by his children, Camille, Christian Dane and Czarina. Kudos to DADB also!

Mr. President, I have no doubt in my mind that most Filipinos would donate blood if it is more convenient for them to do so, meaning if they do not have to travel long distances to do it. That is the reason why I think that it would be a good idea to provide PRC, PBC and DADB with dedicated buses that they could use to go wherever they want, to collect donated blood anywhere. In order for that to work, these buses have to be equipped with the usual equipment that are needed to collect and preserve the collected blood.

I believe Sir, that these buses could either be brand new, or these could be rebuilt and refurbished from old buses that are either confiscated by the LTFRB or repossessed by the banks. The rebuilding and refurbishing could either be done by TESDA students, or these could be subcontracted to SMEs that are in the business of automotive repair. If we do that, we could be providing livelihood to the employees of these small businesses. For example, many of these SMEs are doing business in Las Pinas City and Cavite Province.

Since PBC is a government agency under the DOH, it would probably be easy to convince the Congress to appropriate a new line item, specifically for the PBC, for the purpose of procuring new buses for mobile blood connection. Based on my own experience as a former Director of PCSO, there is no hindrance for the government to donate to PRC, since it is practically a quasi-government agency, if we could call it that. Because of its track record and its credibility, I do not think that it would be difficult for the government to also donate old or new buses to DADB, even if it is a private NGO.

In closing Mr. President, may I respectfully request you to investigate the present system of using the drivers’ licenses issued by LTO to allow license owners to donate their organs in the event of their death? I am making this request because there appears to be no system that could enable or operationalize it. IKE SENERES/10-09-2024

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