CDH Celebrates World Blood Donor Day
By: Marlon C. Runas Photo By: GPC-CDH Date: June 14, 2019
DONATE BLOOD, GIVE LOVE. Caba District Hospital (CDH) collects 45 units of blood during the CDH 16th Mobile Blood Donation “Alay Sagip Buhay” on June 14, 2019 at CDH, Poblacion Sur, Caba, La Union. The said activity is in line with the celebration of World Blood Donor Day. CDH Mobile Blood Donation is a quarterly activity of the hospital in partnership with Philippine Red Cross- La Union Chapter and the Provincial Health Office of the Provincial Government of La Union.
Caba District Hospital (CDH), in partnership with Philippine Red Cross (PRC) - La Union Chapter, celebrated the World Blood Donor Day 2019 with a series of activities which included Information Education Campaign, Free Hemoglobin Test and ABO Blood typing Test and Mobile Blood Donation Activity on June 14, 2019 at CDH Outpatient (OPD) Waiting Area, Poblacion Sur, Caba, La Union.
Chief Dr. Gretchen F. Aromin and Nurse Francis P. Valdez both Blood Galloners, shared their personal experience on blood donation. Dr. Aromin thanked the volunteer blood donors for sharing their precious blood to help those in need. She also encouraged them to regularly share their blood to help others and to augment the increasing needs of blood in the province. She invited everyone to join her in donating blood at CDH’s 16th Mobile Blood Donation Activity.
A total of 45 volunteer blood donors led by the Governor’s Executive Assistant Justo Orros III, CDH Chief Dr. Gretchen F. Aromin, CDH employees and other walk-in donors were successfully bled.
Kristine S. Runatay, Donor Recruitment Officer of PRC - La Union Chapter, tackled the Blood Donation Advocacy, a joint program of Philippine Red Cross and Caba District Hospital. She encouraged the participants to donate blood, to share the blood and save a life.
Nurse Rolyn O. De Vera and Medical Technologist Jinkie Joy Pascua imparted Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) awareness. They discussed the causes, symptoms, prevention and treatment of the said disease. An open forum was conducted after the discussion to accommodate questions coming from the patients and watchers.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Blood donation is a quick, easy, and incredibly safe process, but only small subsections of the population are regular blood donors. Out of the people who are considered “eligible” to donate blood, only about 10 percent choose to do so. Because blood donation is an entirely voluntary process, World Blood Donor Day is an important reminder of how there can never be such a thing as “too many blood donations.” A decision to donate your blood can save a life. A regular and sufficient supply of blood can only be assured through donations from regular, voluntary, unpaid blood donors. They are the safest group of donors because the prevalence of bloodborne infections is lowest among them.
World Blood Donor Day serves to thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood and also to raise awareness of the need for regular blood donations to ensure that all individuals and communities have access to affordable and timely supply of safe and quality-assured blood and blood products, as an integral part of universal health coverage and a key component of effective health systems.#
