YOUR loss might also be your gain if you get caught for violations of traffic regulations. You can thank Bacolod Councilors El Cid Familiaran and Claudio Puentevella of the Bacolod Sangguniang Panglungsod for saving your life from possible heart attacks.
Familiarian and Puentevella sponsored an ordinance allowing the use of voluntary blood donations as payment of penalties for violations of traffic regulations in lieu of fines. According to studies published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, blood donors are 33 percent less likely to suffer a cardiovascular disease and 88 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack. When donating blood, we are removing 225 to 250 mg of iron from our body; therefore reducing our risks of health complications. High blood iron can cause a variety of symptoms, such as irregular heartbeats, lethargy, muscle weakness, hardening of arteries, accelerated cholesterol oxidation, decreased libido and enlarged liver. The Department of Health affirmed this conclusion. “Voluntary blood donation enhances the production of new red blood cells and reduces the risk of getting heart diseases. It energizes the body and gives one’s self a sense of fulfillment. It also plays an important role in the act of saving a life.” The DOH said donors should be in good health, between 16 and 65 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds (50 kilograms), and pass physical, health history and lifestyle assessment during the screening. It added those aged 16 and 17 must secure parental consent. Of course, if the blood examination shows that a traffic offender’s blood is unfit for medical use, the CHO should inform the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office about it and the traffic violator will have to pay the mandated fine. Bacolod’s blood bank is suffering from scarcity of blood donations. Despite the presence of Red Cross and blood banks at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital and other private hospitals, blood supply remains a major concern of the city, the ordinance said. According to the Philippine Red Cross Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang, the 2013 blood collection fell short of the 950,000 units of blood that the country needs. PRC managed to collect a mere 440,000 units, less than half of the target. So in effect, in saving the lives of those in need of blood transfusion, male blood donors might also be saving their lives. When donating your blood, the PRC will test it to determine your blood type – classified as A, B, AB, and O – and your Rh factor. The Rh factor refers to the presence or absence of a specific antigen, a substance capable of stimulating an immune response, in the blood; so, you are either Rh positive or Rh negative, meaning you either carry the antigen or you don’t. If the blood examination shows that the blood is not fit for medical use, the CHO should inform the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office about it and the traffic violator will be made to pay the mandated fine. The City Health Office will issue an ID card to blood donors-traffic violators as voluntary blood donor that will qualify him or his immediate family members access to blood donation in the future. Come to think of it, we don’t need to violate traffic rules to donate blood. After all, we are doing ourselves a favor. While scientists are researching why donating blood reduces the risk of heart attack, its benefits are a two-way street. Develop a healthy habit, head over to your local blood center and give the gift of life to yourself, your family, and your community. By Benedicto Q Sánchez Sunstar Bacolod
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