MANDALUYONG CITY -- The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Blood Services continues serving the Filipino people amidst misinformation regarding fees. From the start of this year up to October 5, 2021, the PRC Blood Services has given free blood to 10,613 indigent patients. That is roughly 10% of the total patients served by the PRC blood services for the past nine (9) months, totaling 119,535 patients. The indigent patients were given blood without any blood processing fees through the PRC Blood Samaritan Program.

For October 5 alone, the PRC Blood Services served 28 indigent patients by giving them free blood with no processing fees, 24 patients given blood with discounted processing fees, and 229 patients given blood and charged with processing fees.

"Ang Blood Samaritan Program ng Red Cross ay tumutulong sa ating mga kapus-palad na kababayan na hindi kayang magbayad ng blood processing fees. Kapag ang pasyente ay walang kakayahan na bayaran ang blood processing fee, lumilikom ng pondo ang Red Cross mula sa mga bukas palad na mga tao at kumpanya para sila ang sasagot sa fees na ito," said PRC Chairman and CEO Sen. Dick Gordon.

Patients can avail of the Blood Samaritan Program if they have a certificate of indigency from the hospital they are in or from the PRC Welfare services. These documents and the official blood request are needed to avail of blood without any charges.

PRC would like to remind the public that blood itself is free. Blood processing fees are charged to non-indigent patients to follow Department of Health Administrative Order 2015-0045. The fees are to cover the donor recruitment program, education, collection, blood testing, preparation of blood products, and other processes to ensure that the blood given to patients is safe. (Philippine Red Cross)

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