The Department of Health in Eastern Visayas (Region 8) has sent 1,079 blood units on Thursday to augment the supply in the National Capital Region.
The DOH said the blood supply in Metro Manila is being exhausted due to rising cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and movement restrictions, preventing the conduct of donation drives.
The stocks at the Philippine Blood Center in Quezon City, the government’s blood bank, were reported to be at a critical level, according to DOH regional director Exuperia Sabalberino in an interview Friday.
In response, the state-run Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) has stepped up its blood donation drive by recruiting more voluntary blood donors. This resulted in the collection of 1,079 blood units in March.
“This is very significant because we are also sending part of ourselves. We sent one thousand units of blood to Luzon. This feels like we are already sending part of ourselves to Luzon more than sending our volunteers,” Sabalberino said.
This is the first time the EVRMC sent blood units to Metro Manila to help patients admitted to the different hospitals requiring transfusion.
The DOH Region 8 on Wednesday deployed additional nurses to the NCR to help care for the rising number of Covid-19 patients.
The team composed of 11 nurses, will be on duty at the Philippine Heart Center until June 21 this year.
This is the second batch of healthcare workers deployed by the region to NCR. (PNA)
