DOH’s Domingo given new assignment 

MANILA, Philippines — Health Undersecretary Dr. Albert Domingo has been appointed as the new head of the Department of Health’s (DOH) Essential Life-Saving Services Cluster (ELSS), effective Sept. 21.

As ELSS chief, Domingo will oversee services covering blood services, organ donation and sharing, and drug abuse prevention and treatment.

The previous head of the National Nutrition Council said his experience would serve as a “natural take-off point” for his new responsibilities.

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“I am grateful for the two-month stint I had in the National Nutrition Council, which impressed upon me the nature of proper nutrition as a program that is one foundation for many other health programs,” he told the Inquirer.

For blood services, Domingo said he would strengthen partnerships with reliable entities such as the Philippine Red Cross and establish more government blood centers in provinces and cities.

“For voluntary blood services, we must improve the availability of donated blood products that are used for a wide range of conditions, such as dengue, trauma surgery and many more,” he said.

Regarding organ donation, Domingo said the department would digitize and optimize processes to ensure that donor screening and recipient allocation are handled ethically, properly and efficiently. He also emphasized the need to improve public awareness and participation in organ donation. /cb