Statement of Senator Nancy Binay on World Blood Donor Day

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), almost 800 women die every day from complications of pregnancy and childbirth and that access to safe supplies of blood is necessary to ensure their survival.

This very true here in the Philippines where many women suffer and die because there is not enough access to proper medical facilities let alone safe supplies of blood for transfusion.

As a mother to four children, I hope that there will come a time in the future when we can all rest assured that in times of emergency, we will have access to safe blood to save many lives and more importantly, save the lives of all mothers and their children.

This is why today, I urge my fellow Filipinos to join the rest of the world in commemorating World Blood Donor Day with this year's theme "Safe blood for saving mothers".

If you are 18-65 years old, weighing at least 110 lbs (50 kilos) and with clean bill of health, please join us in preventing maternal deaths in the country and donate blood.

Donating blood only takes minutes but this makes all the difference between life and death for many mothers and their babies.