Kalinga Blood Council sets bloodletting activities for June

By Geraldine G. Dumallig

Wednesday 6th of June 2012

TABUK CITY, Kalinga, June 6 (PIA) -- The Kalinga Blood Council is set to conduct three bloodletting activities (BLAs) this June in the municipalities of Pinukpuk and Rizal.

Scheduled for BLA on June 14 are the clustered barangays of Camalog, Cawagayan, and Mapaco of Pinukpuk to be held at the 21st Infantry Batallion Camp in Kapanikian of said municipality.

Pasil municipality, through its Municipal Health Office, will also host a BLA on June 18 in the locality.

The third activity on June 28 will be participated by the clustered barangays of Taga, Apatan, Tappo, and Ballayangon to be held at Taga, Pinukpuk.

The KBC is also encouraging other interested individuals, organizations, or groups to participate in said blood donation activities, which are the initial joint BLA implementation in the province.

Just recently, the KBC has made it a policy that all bloodletting projects in the province will be conducted jointly and coordinated with the KBC, and that storage of collected blood will be centralized at the Kalinga Blood Bank (KBB) located at the Kalinga Provincial Hospital.

Screening, release, and distribution will also be done through the KBB, while other blood collecting and storage facilities such as the Red Cross and district hospital will serve to augment the services of the KBB.

In line with this, the KBB is encouraging volunteer groups and organizations to coordinate with the KBC their blood donation projects and is encouraging all barangays to set their own regular bloodletting programs, which could be done quarterly.

Through Republic Act 7719 known as the National Blood Services Act of 1994, voluntary blood donation is being promoted with the support of the local government units and key agencies to ensure adequate, safe, affordable and equitable distribution of blood and blood products, establish and organize a national blood transfusion service network and phase out commercial blood banks. (JDP/GGD- PIA CAR, Kalinga)