By Hannah Patricia Abril | News Writer
Vol. XCI No. 18
Mar. 6, 2020
Silliman University Medical Student’s Association (SUMSA), in partnership with MedTech Society (MTSOC), will host a Blood Drive activity on March 7 at the Physicians Hall, Silliman University Medical School building.
With the tagline, “Donate Blood for a Reason, Let your Reason be Life,” the event is annual advocacy of the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges – Student Network to gather blood donors.
According to SUMSA president Victor Giorgio Villegas, everyone is encouraged to participate in the blood drive as long as the donors pass the screening. The blood donor selection is a stringent process to ascertain that both the donor and the receiver are safe.
Exceeding 50 bags is the drive’s target number of donors. One bag can save up to three lives.
“We believe that we leave with even only a single donor, then we have served the purpose to save lives,” Villegas stated.
The volunteers shall undergo a screening to identify if they are legible to donate blood, and donors should at least weigh 50 kg. SUMSA, through its official Facebook page, will soon post the requirements.
“Aside from helping the community, it’s (blood donation) beneficial for the body of the person, especially for men, because [they] don’t have menstruation [sic], so wala sila’y regular withdrawal of blood, and it’s really helpful [for blood regeneration],” MTSOC president Jansen Coronado said.
The donated blood will proceed to the Silliman University Medical Center Blood Bank.
The benefits of donating blood include good health, reduced risk of cancer, hemochromatosis, liver, and pancreas damage. It also helps with cardiovascular health improvement and reducing obesity.
Photo from SUMSA OFC Facebook page
