The Baguio City Council recently enacted an ordinance establishing the Baguio City Local Blood Council (BCLBC) in a move aimed at promoting voluntary blood donation to ensure adequate supply of safe blood in the city.
The ordinance is in line with the Department of Health Administrative Order 2010-002 which provides guidelines for the establishment and operation of local blood councils, focusing on voluntary blood service programs.
The ordinance also finds legal basis on Republic Act 719, or the National Blood Services Act of 1995, which stresses the humanitarian nature of blood donation and advocates for voluntary blood programs at the local level, guaranteeing an adequate, safe, and equitable distribution of blood.
The BCLBC shall enhance the city’s health and social program by planning, organizing, and coordinating local voluntary blood donation initiatives and shall forge partnerships with various entities including blood collection facilities, barangays, academic institutions, companies, offices, civil society organizations, and religious and civic groups to ensure a whole-of-community approach in maintaining a steady supply of safe blood.
The functions of the council include recommending measures and policies related to voluntary blood donation, formulating and implementing programs, creating sub-committees for strategic steps, instilling social consciousness in the grassroots, assisting barangays in creating a database for donors, conducting blood donor recruitment promotions, and proposing funding for indigent residents to access blood services.
The council shall be composed of the mayor, City Health Services Office, city council’s committee on health and sanitation, and representatives from the academe, transport, cooperative, religious/inter-faith, business/ market sectors, health professionals, and mass media.
Meetings of the BCLBC shall be scheduled quarterly.
To support the activities of the committee, a yearly appropriation of P2 million shall be allocated to ensure the successful implementation of the council’s initiatives and enhance the city’s healthcare services.
The ordinance has been transmitted to the City Mayor’s Office to be signed by the local chief executive before its implementation. – Jordan G. Habbiling
