RA 7719 -The National

Blood Services Act

 What is R.A. No. 7719?
Also known as the National
Blood Services Act of
1994.
It was approved on May
15,1994.
 Purposes:
 To promote voluntary blood donation
 To lay down the legal principle that blood
provision is a service and not a sale of commodity
 To provide adequate supply of safe blood
 To inform the public the hazard of commercial
blood
 To require blood banks to operate in a non profits
basis
 To phase-out commercial blood banks
 Why is there a need to regulate blood
banking practice in the Philippines?

Section 15, Article II, 1997

Philippine Constitution
• the government shall protect this
right and instill health consciousness
among them.
• “the right to health of the people”
 Section 2
 In order to promote public health, it is hereby
declared the policy of the State:
 a) to promote and encourage voluntary blood
donation by the citizenry and to instill public
consciousness of the principle that blood
donation is a humanitarian act;
 b) to lay down the legal principle that the
provision of blood for transfusion is a
professional medical service and not a sale of a
commodity;
 c) to provide for adequate, safe, affordable and
equitable distribution of supply of blood and blood
products;
 d) to inform the public of the need for voluntary
blood donation to curb the hazards caused by the
commercial sale of blood;
 e) to teach the benefits and rationale of voluntary
blood donation in the existing health subjects of
the formal education system in all public and
private schools, in the elementary, high school
and college levels as well as the non-formal
education system;
 f) to mobilize all sectors of the community to
participate in mechanisms for voluntary and non-
profit collection of blood;
 g) to mandate the Department of Health to establish
and organize a National Blood Transfusion Service
Network in order to rationalize and improve the
provision of adequate and safe supply of blood;
 h) to provide for adequate assistance to institutions
promoting voluntary blood donation and providing
non-profit blood services, either through a system of
reimbursement for costs from patients who can
afford to pay, or donations from governmental and
non-governmental entities:
 i) to require all blood collection units and blood
banks/centers to operate on a non-profit basis;
 j) to establish scientific and professional standards
for the operation of blood collection units and blood
banks/centers in the Philippines;
 k) to regulate and ensure the safety of all activities
related to the collection, storage and banking of
blood; and
 l) to require upgrading of blood banks/centers to
include preventive services and education to control
spread of blood transfusion transmissible diseases.
 Since blood donation is a humanitarian
act, blood shall be collected only from
healthy, voluntary, non-
remunerated blood donors.
A voluntary non-remunerated
blood donor is a person who gives
blood freely and voluntarily without
receiving any money or any form of
payment.
Blood service facility and its
classification
 What is a Blood Service Facility (BSF)

A BSF is a unit, agency or institution that provides

blood products.

BSF may be classified as to

(1) ownership ,
(2) institutional character, and
(3) service capability.
 Classifications of BSFs
 Ownership
 Government –national, LGU, GOCC
 Private – privately owned – individual, corp.,
association, or organization
 Institutional Character
 Hospital based-it is within the premises of the
hospital.
 Non-hospital based- can be a government or PRNC-
owned BSF located outside the premises of a hospital.
 Service Capability
 Blood Station (BS)
 Advocacy and promotion of
voluntary blood donation
 Provision of whole blood and packed
RBC
 Storage, issuance, transport and
distribution of whole blood and
packed RBC
 Compatibility testing
 Blood Collection Unit (BCU)
 Advocacy and promotion
 Recruitment and screening of
voluntary blood donor
 Health education and counseling
 Collection of blood
 Transport of blood to BC
 Compatibility testing
 Blood Bank (BB)
 Advocacy and promotion
 Storage and issuance of blood and
components from BC
 Other services ; Compatibility
testing; Direct Coomb’s test; Red
Cell Ab screening; Investigation of
transfusion reaction; hemovigilance
– post transfusion surveillance
 Blood Center (BC)
 Advocacy and promotion
 Recruitment of donor
 Collection of blood
 Health education and counseling
 Testing for Transfusion transmissible infections
(Ti’s)
 Processing and provision of blood components
 Storage, issuance, transport and distribution
of blood and blood products to hospitals and
other health facilities
 Commercial blood banks are no
longer included in the classifications of
BSF. Commercial blood bank is one that
exist for profit.
 Under R.A. No. 7719, all commercial
blood banks shall be phased out.
Instead, all BSF shall operate on a
non-profit basis, consistent with the
declaration of policy.
 Section 7
 All commercial blood banks shall
be phased-out over a period of
two (2) years after the
effectivity of this Act,
extendable to a maximum period
of two (2) years by the Secretary.
 section 8
 All blood banks/centers shall operate on a
non-profit basis: Provided, That they may
collect service fees not greater than the
maximum prescribed by the Department
which shall be limited to the necessary
expenses entailed in collecting and processing
of blood. Blood shall be collected from healthy
voluntary donors only.
 What are transfusion transmissible
infections screened by BCs?
 Human Immunnodeficiency virus /HIV
 Hepatitis B
 Hepatitis C
 Malaria
 Syphilis
 Prohibition for retesting of issued
blood
 General rule: testing of Transfusion
Transmission Infection should be done
only by Blood Centers and can not be
retested by the end-user hospitals.
 Reason: it is their responsibility to ensure
that all units of blood issued have been
tested and are negative for TTIs.
 Exception: RA
11166(Philippine HIV
and AIDS policy act of
2018, second testing for
HIV may be requested by a
recipient of a blood unit as
a matter of right.
 Therefore, the prohibition for retesting
of issued blood shall only apply to
hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis,
and malaria.
 For HIV, even it was already tested
and screened by a BC, recipient of the
blood unit is entitled for request of
second testing as a matter of
right.
 Who supervises or manages a BSF?
 Hospital-based blood station-
pathologist certified by Philippine
Board of Pathology.
 Non-Hospital based blood station-
physician with at least 3 months formal
training in basic blood banking
provided by a DOH-recognized training
provider.
 BCUs, BS, and BS/ BCUs must be managed
and supervised by a physician with formal
training in basic blood banking provided
by a DOH-recognized training provider.
 There should be an adequate number of
qualified medical technologists
proportional to the workload as
determined by the head of the BSF.
 A BSF must have at least one medical
technologist for every shift.
Licensing
 What is an Authority to Operate
 ATO is(ATO)?
an official permit issued by the
DOH to an individual, corporation,
partnership, or association to a BCU or
BU
What is an License to Operate (LTO)?
 A LTO is an formal authority issued by the
DOH to an individual, corporation
partnership, or association to a BB or BC.
 It is unlawful for any person to establish and
operate a BSF unless it is registered and issued an
LTO by the DOH.
 Provided, that in case of emergencies, blood
collection and transfusion under the responsibility of
the attending physician shall be allowed in hospitals
without such license under certain conditions
prescribed by the DOH.
 No license shall be granted or renewed by the
Department for the establishment and operation of
a BSF unless it complies with the prescribed
standards.
 After complying with the requirements
of the DOH, an ATO/LTO shall be issued
to a qualified BSF. An ATO/LTO cannot
be assigned or transferred to other
persons. The same shall be displayed in
the prominent place of the BSF.
 If there is a change of management,
name, or ownership, the BSF shall
inform the CHD/HFSRB of the DOH.
However, in case of transfer of location,
a new application for LTO/ATO is
Process of application, registration,
and renewal
ATO/LTO IS VALID FOR 3 YEARS.
If the LTO/ATO is part of the Hospital
• File an LTO,
CHD/ HFSRB of application
the DOH *ATO of the BCU and BS,
*LTO of BB shall be valid for only 1
year.

CHD shall • Within 30

conduct an days from the
inspection time of filing If the application
is not processed
within 30 days,
CHD may • Within 15 Deemed
approve or days from approved
disapproved inspectio
the application n
Inspection and
Monitoring
Who inspects and monitors BSFs?

 HFSRB and CHD, through

its director or his/her
authorized representative,
are tasked to inspect and
monitor BSF within their
respective jurisdiction.
 Section 3
 a) Blood/blood product – refers to human
blood, processed or unprocessed and includes
blood components, its products and derivatives;
 b) Blood bank/center – a laboratory or
institution with the capability to recruit and
screen blood donors, collect, process, store,
transport and issue blood for transfusion and
provide information and/ or education on blood
transfusion transmissible diseases;
 c) Commercial blood bank – a blood bank that
exists for profit;
 d) Hospital-based blood bank – a blood bank
which is located within the premises of a hospital
and which can perform compatibility testing of
blood;
 e) Blood collection unit – an institution or
facility duly authorized by the Department of
Health to recruit and screen donors and collect
blood;
 Cont’d
 f) Voluntary blood donor – one who donates
blood on one’s own volition or initiative and
without monetary compensation;
 g) Department – the Department of Health;
 h) Blood transfusion transmissible diseases
– diseases which may be transmitted as a result
of blood transfusion, including AIDS, Hepatitis-B,
Malaria and Syphilis;
 i) Secretary of Health – the Secretary of Health
or any other person to whom the Secretary
delegates the responsibility of carrying out the
provisions of this Act; and
 j) Walking Blood Donor – an individual included
in the list of qualified voluntary blood donors
referred to in Section 4, paragraph (e), who is
ready to donate blood when needed in his/her
community.
 Section [Link]

HFSRB and CHD are authorized to investigate

complaints against a BSF or any of its personnel
who violated R.A. No. 7719.
Collect charges greater than the minimum prescribed
by DOH
 Imprisonment (1-6 months)
 Fine ( 5k -50k)
Operate a Blood Bank without License
 Imprisonment (12 years – 20 years
- Fine (50k – 500k)
Failure to dispose contaminated
blood within 48 hours
 Imprisonment (10 years) without
prejudice to the filing of criminal cases
( Head and personnel responsible for
dispensing/transfusing)
Failure to renew within 3 months
prior to expiration
 Fine 5k
 Appeal

File an appeal
within 30 days
to the *The decision
CHD final of the
decision secretary of
the secretary of
DOH/secretary health shall be
of health final and
executory.
End of 7719
 Which facility may be managed by a
physician with at least 3years formal
training in basic blood banking provided by
a DOH-recognized training provider?
 testing of Transfusion
Transmission Infection should
be done only by ___________
and can not be retested by
the end-user hospitals.
 as a matter of right, the one
who will going to receive the
blood coming from a stranger
can request for a second
testing for HIV.
 the application for
registration and issuance
of the LTO/ATO of a BSF is
filed with the______
 an Authority to
Operate (ATO) is an
official permit issued
by the DOH to _____
ANSWER

 NON HOSPITAL BASED BLOOD STATION

ANSWER

 BLOOD CENTER
ANSWER

 TRUE
ANSWER

 HFSRB AND/OR CHD

ANSWER

 BLOOD COLLECTION UNIT