Scope and Coverage
- Applies to all government and private facilities nationwide providing blood services.
Definitions of Key Terms
- Blood Service Facility (BSF): units providing blood products, including Blood Stations, Collection Units, Hospital Blood Banks, and Blood Centers.
- Blood Station: authorized to store, issue, and perform basic compatibility testing of whole blood/packed cells.
- Blood Collection Unit: recruits donors, collects blood, conducts education and transport to Blood Centers.
- Apheresis Facility: separates selected blood components, returns remaining blood to donor.
- Hospital Blood Bank: stores blood, performs compatibility tests, investigates transfusion reactions, assists in hemovigilance.
- Blood Center: licensed for donor recruitment, collection, testing for infectious markers, processing, storage, and distribution.
- End-User Hospital (EU): hospital receiving blood for transfusion without blood service capabilities.
- End-User Non-Hospital Health Facility: non-hospital facilities administering transfusions without clinical labs.
- Blood Services Network: informal organization linking designated blood centers, banks, stations, and users within areas.
Organizational Structure and Governance
- Blood Services Network includes National Council for Blood Services (NCBS), Blood Centers, Blood Collection Units, Hospital Blood Banks/Stations, end-user facilities, and National Reference Laboratories.
- NCBS chaired by Secretary of Health, composed of representatives from key health and blood organizations.
- NCBS has standing committees e.g., Executive, Technical, Education, Finance, IT.
- Secretariat staffed by Philippine Blood Center or DOH health facility personnel.
- NCBS meets quarterly; non-DOH members receive per diems.
- NCBS functions: policy approval, standards and guidelines, strategic planning, fund allocation, capability development, certification of importation privileges.
Philippine National Blood Services (PNBS) and Blood Centers
- PNBS supervised by NCBS; includes National, Subnational, and Regional Blood Centers.
- Philippine Blood Center (National): donor recruitment, blood collection, infectious testing, processing, pheresis, distribution, quality assurance, training, research, special immunohematology tests.
- Subnational/Regional Centers: similar functions adapted to areas including testing, processing, storage, QA, training.
- Blood Collection Units and Apheresis Facilities supervised by Blood Centers; recruited donors, collect blood, conduct health education, transport blood.
- Hospitals must establish Blood Bank, Blood Station or function as End-User Hospital depending on size; maintain proper audit/inventory systems.
- End-User non-hospital facilities must also maintain audit/inventory of blood products.
- National Reference Laboratories (Immunology at RITM; Immunohematology at NKTI) for confirmatory testing; NCBS may designate or change labs.
Funding and Financial Management
- NCBS supported by national budget, government financing agencies (PCSO, PAGCOR), PhilHealth reimbursements, blood service fees.
- Collaborative support from donor agencies, foundations, international organizations, and local government units.
- Establishment of trust fund for NVBSP and PNBS operations from revenues and donations.
- DOH allocates annual budget for personnel, infrastructure, operations.
- NCBS plans continuous funding, including MOAs between Blood Centers and hospitals.
- PhilHealth reimburses centers for services and blood products based on conditions (voluntary donation, proper testing, rational use).
General Guidelines
- Aggressive promotion of voluntary blood donation (mobile and facility-based).
- Only collect blood from qualified healthy voluntary donors.
- PNBS to ensure quality health care through adequate competencies.
- Blood from PNBS Blood Centers is tested and need not be retested by hospitals.
- Hospitals/health facilities must use blood products only from licensed/authorized blood centers.
Operationalization and Management
- PNBS staffing and organizational structure approved by NCBS.
- NVBSP personnel may be reassigned as needed to Blood Centers.
- Equipment and vehicles procured centralized at Blood Centers.
- Philippine Blood Center to establish Bids and Awards Committee per procurement laws.
- Regulatory oversight on importation of equipment and supplies with possible tax/duty exemptions under RA 7719.
Separability Clause
- Invalidity of any provision does not affect the validity of the remaining provisions unless specified.
Effectivity and References
- The Rules and Regulations take effect immediately upon issuance.
- Previous inconsistent provisions in Administrative Order No. 9, s. 1995 are rescinded or modified as specified.