The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said it is updating its organ and tissue donation policy to improve transplant access, speed up donor matching and strengthen measures against organ trafficking.
DOH Undersecretary Albert Domingo said about 660 patients were awaiting kidney donations as of Oct. 26, while more than 500 were waiting for corneas around the same date.
He cited a donation rate of 0.7 per million population in the Philippines, compared with more than 50 per million in Spain.
Priorities include stronger advocacy, digitalization, and simpler donor registration procedures, including through driver’s licenses.
“Kailangan po kasama sa kultura natin ang pinag-uusapan paano magbigay ng buhay sa ibang tao sa pamamagitan ng ating literal na bahagi ng ating katawan (Discussing how to give life to another person through parts of our own bodies should become part of our culture),” Domingo said.
Digitalization would help facilitate matching and paired donations when a donor is incompatible with the intended recipient.
Domingo emphasized that donations must be voluntary and ethical. The DOH also plans to simplify reporting channels to the National Bureau of Investigation to combat organ trafficking.
Reopened health station in Tarlac
Meanwhile, the DOH official said the reopened Sitio Dueg health station in Barangay Maasin, San Clemente, Tarlac would improve primary care access for residents, including Ayta and Abellen communities, he said.
The municipality renovated a former Covid-19 isolation facility, while the DOH will provide equipment and materials. Residents otherwise face lengthy downhill trips to other facilities, with bad weather sometimes closing roads.
Mayor Roseller Toledo will arrange satellite internet connectivity for telemedicine consultations with the municipal rural health unit. A visiting midwife and two local barangay health workers will support services.
Blood supply preparations
Domingo also called for preparations to maintain blood supplies during Christmas and Holy Week, when donations decline.
Following visits to Tarlac blood service facilities, he said Tarlac Provincial Hospital was nearing certification that would allow it to meet Hepatitis B blood-testing requirements without sending results to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.
“Kapag may nangangailangan ng dugo, wala nang dapat turuan o kaya sabihan na ‘ako si DOH, ako si LGU, ako si Red Cross’—bigay na lang po noong serbisyo na kailangan ng ating kababayan (When someone needs blood, there should be no finger-pointing or distinctions about which agency DOH, LGU, Philippine Red Cross is responsible. Just provide the service our fellow Filipino needs),” Domingo said. (PNA)
