FEATURE: What other services does the Philippine Red Cross provide aside from collecting blood?

When people hear about the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), the first thing that usually comes to mind is blood donation; however, PRC Kalinga emphasized that there are other free services the office is providing to those in need which they can avail.

In an interview with Guru Press Cordillera, PRC Kalinga Chapter Medical Technologist Jeremy Delgado shared that aside from blood donation, they also conduct free basic life support training.

Under the basic life support training, as explained by Delgado, participants are taught how to properly perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), assist choking victims, and handle different breathing and cardiac emergencies, among others.

Apart from the said initiative, the PRC renders humanitarian assistance during calamities and training volunteers to evaluate risks, create disaster plans, and efficiently respond to emergencies through its Disaster Response Service.

“Karamihan po kasi kapag narinig yong Red Cross, ang alam lang nila is blood service or blood donation. Pero, aside from the blood service, meron po din po kaming safety service. Wherein, as a safety service, siya po yong in charge sa mga training sa first aid, basic life support. Meron din si disaster management service, wherein, sila naman po ang in charge na magrespond pag may mga calamity,” Delgado relayed. 

The medical technologist wanted to clarify to those who are not yet aware that PRC is a non-government organization, which means the funding comes primarily from private donors.

Nevertheless, despite the limited funding, it provides emergency and medical insurance to individuals through its Membership with Accident Assistance Benefits (MAAB).

As cited on the PRC website, MAAB members are entitled to various kinds of benefits, such as accidental and disablement assistance and medical reimbursement, among others. 

The amount of assistance given, said Delgado, depends on the category the member availed.

“Si Red Cross po kasi, for those who don’t know, non-government organization po siya. However, meron po kaming tinatawag na MAAB. With the MAAB po, may makukuha po si member na medical assistance. Pero, dapat wala siyang violation. Halimbawa, si motorcycle rider eh naaksidente tapos may violation like hindi registered sa LTO yong vehicle niya, wala po siya makukuha,” Delgado explained. 

To know the other services PRC Kalinga is offering to the public, one can visit their office which is located in Bulanao, Tabuk City.