Abuno 2017: A MHAM-pioneered project in partnership with the Department Of Health
A record-breaking blood donation drive in partnership with the Department Of Health (DOH) Region VII Blood Center was conducted at the MHAM Library Extension last September 27, 2017 from 9:30 in the morning and ended at 9:30 in the evening.
Dubbed as “Abuno 2017”, the signifying event was in line with the Central Visayas Medical Schools Blood Letting Activity spearheaded by the DOH and is one of the main highlights of the MHAM Student Council’s projects before the year ends.
Blood flows at MHAM: A record-breaking MHAM-pioneered mission from the rising of the sun to its setting
Participated by two hundred fifty-nine (259) MHAM students who patiently-waited their turns in answering the call to give hope for those who have battled and won and to those still fighting for life, the signifying event was led by student-leaders William Tiu Jr. and Andrea Marie Tortugo who didn’t expect that the voluntary blood donation lasted in the evening. Tortugo is also serving as the Regional Chairman for the Blood Donation Campaign for the Association of Philippine Medical Schools-Student Network (APMC-SN) aside from being the Internal Vice-President of the Student Council.
WEAREMHAM: Sophomore student-leaders William Tiu Jr. and Andrea Marie Tortugo during the Abuno 2017
Breaking the record for having the highest number of blood units collected among the medical schools in the entire Visayas region so far, a total of one hundred ninety-nine (199) bags were donated to the DOH7 in just a single day. Based from the official record, two-hundred four (204) successful blood donors composed with eighty-five (85) freshmen, sixty-two (62) sophomore and fifty-seven (57) junior student-donors qualified the eligibility criteria in blood letting.
Among the MHAM student-donors who responded the call to donate blood in order to help especially those who are battling for life was 23-year old Nikki Nina Barcinas who eventually became the reason behind someone’s life. As her first time to donate and a huge handful at the donation drive, Nikki, as she is fondly called, managed to conquer her fear and braved the challenge just to support the noble cause in order to make a difference in someone’s life.
Nikki’s fulfilling moment: A perfect chance to create a difference between life and death for somebody
“It was my first time to donate and I was really scared at first but I conquered my fear. It wasn’t as painful as I thought and I decided I’d donate blood regularly. I wanted to donate because I know I can be the difference between life and death for somebody. I had always wanted to donate blood but did not have the time or opportunity. Indeed, it was the perfect chance”, said Barcinas in an interview.
Interview with one of the student-donors during the MHAM-pioneered Blood Letting Activity, Nikki Nina Barcinas…
Driven by her gift of person with an outpouring selfless act to give hope to those in need through the gift of blood donation, this BS Speech and Language Pathology graduate with latin honors from University of Santo Tomas-Manila fostered a sense of commitment by becoming a good steward of the blood supply in the community through voluntary donation. “It felt so fulfilling. I felt part of something big. My little sacrifice could really go a long way to save people’s lives. The pure satisfaction of knowing I made a difference that day was so worth it. Donating is the fastest way to drastically change someone else’s life for the better”, Nikki added.
The MHAM way: Making a difference with sophomore student Nikki Nina Barcinas
According to the Student Council Vice President-External and MHAM Representative to the APMC-SN, William C. Tiu Jr., the noble mission was part of their service as SC officers to conduct blood letting activity with DOH. For several years now, MHAM students are consistently participating this humble project, braving the challenge to save the lives of others who need most.
With Student Council Vice President-External and MHAM Representative to the APMC-SN, William C. Tiu Jr.
Interview with William C. Tiu Jr.
“Because it is a reality that there is shortage of blood in the hospitals and one way to address this issue is to prepare bags of blood that can be used during emergencies. We were thinking why not tap our own medical students because afterall there is no harm in voluntarily giving your blood and that also coincides with the DOH’ thrust which is the National Volunteer Blood Services Program. For September we are doing it for the whole Visayas region and by February next year we will be doing it for the national level”, said Tiu in an interview.
This 23-year old sophomore student-leader also added that the blood letting project was initiated by MHAM way back years ago and has been adopted over the years by other medical schools in Cebu City. “MHAM is proud for being the pioneer of this project and at the same time it takes pride in heading this project for the school because it’s part of something which is traditional, handed from previous student-leaders. For this year, it has been my goal to reach 100 bags in total or to go beyond the usual outcome and anything which is beyond 100 is already a bonus. I believe that if you make the students aware of the purpose of the project I think there is really something good that comes out of it”, he concluded.
Student-leader William C. Tiu Jr.
Knowing that the DOH Regional Blood Center is coping for the demand for blood transfusion and to lessen the deficiency, Tiu also reiterated that the blood units were forwarded to Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) where patients with financial constraints can pay at a later time or to be charged along with the room bills unlike in blood bank centers which are not affiliated with hospitals. Patients especially in public hospitals are always in urgent need of blood and blood components since most surgical interventions and medical procedures require blood transfusion.
We Are MHAM. We save lives.
In addition, to qualify to become a donor, one must maintain a healthy iron level by eating iron-rich foods diet such as red meat, a good night sleep, eating a healthy meal and drinking an extra sixteen ounces of water or non-alcoholic fluids before the blood-letting activity and above all, one must be at least fifty kilos in weight.
Vigorous Vitalis: Advocates in saving lives and beyond
The blood letting activity was composed with the DOH employees, medical staff, volunteers and medtech interns from different medical universities. Two MHAM senior clerks were also present and took part of the notable mission which was considered as the highest number that the DOH has ever collected in the entire region for this quarter and the highest number of bags ever collected within the school campus in one single day.
The previous DOH-MHAM partnership blood letting activity was conducted last February 22, 2017 with a total of sixty-one (61) bags of blood units.
DOH representatives during the Abuno 2017 in MHAM
As donating blood is undeniably safe and offers a number of advantages, a unit of blood can save multiple lives. By giving one’s blood to someone, one can become the reason behind someone’s life. Needless to say, to date, these MHAM student-donors have become the instruments in saving people’s lives and have made the difference by becoming silent heroes of these present times. (Ana Liza Abao)