P24-M blood bank in Negros Occ opens

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — The 24.1-million Negros First Provincial Blood Bank Center located in Brgy. 39 in this city was inaugurated last Friday by Health Assistant Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial, Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr., and local officials.

Owned by the Negros Occidental provincial government, the facility has an P18.9-million structure, a P4.2-million fire protection system, and a P1-million pathological vault.

Ubial said this is one of the only two provincial government-established blood centers in the country. The other is in Davao del Norte. It will complement the operations of the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital’s blood bank center also in Bacolod City, she said.

Ubial said this will ensure the storage of adequate blood supply for Negrenses, but the Department of Health will provide additional equipment needed by the blood bank.

The provincial government of Negros Occidental is a recipient of the 2012 National Sandugo Award for its outstanding performance in bloodletting activities.

Marañon said blood donations in Negros Occidental have increased every year since 2010. “We expect that with the operation of the blood bank, the increase this year will even be higher because people now know that the province has a facility to store their blood donations,” he said.

DOH records show that Negros Occidental is one of only three provinces that has blood donations from more than one percent of its population. “This has not been achieved yet on a national scale,” Ubial said.

The Provincial Health Office reported that in 2010, at least 32,276 units of blood were collected and 32,812 units utilized. In 2011, 33,048 units of blood were collected and 30,101 units used, while last year, 33,896 units were collected and 32,747 units were utilized. (FREEMAN)