To curb malpractices at blood banks, the state health department is laying down a policy for blood transfusions, which will include bringing parity in the prices of blood bags at all 272 blood banks in Maharashtra.
By next year, blood banks will not be allowed to sell blood units, but only charge processing fees.
To curb malpractices at blood banks, the state health department is laying down a policy for blood transfusions, which will include bringing parity in the prices of blood bags at all 272 blood banks in Maharashtra.
Senior doctors from JJ Hospital said that the average blood processing charge per unit should be between Rs400 and Rs 450, but most private banks charge between Rs1,200 and Rs2,000 per unit.
The policy will also mandate that hospitals and nursing homes cannot force relatives of patients who require blood transfusion, to look for donors to replace the used blood.
“The policy will bring relief to patients who require blood and their relatives. We have appointed an expert committee, comprising health department officials, heads of the pathology departments of state-run hospitals and NGOs, to frame the policy,” said Suresh Shetty, state health minister.
The policy will be drafted based on directives of the National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC).
“Currently, there is no control over blood banks and they charge blood bags in the guise of processing fees. Private blood bank gets free blood from donors. How can they sell it at exorbitant charges? They charge processing fees. All these issues will be taken care of by the new policy that we plan to have in place in the next six months,” the minister added.
Maharashtra has its own body, the State Blood Transfusion Council (STBC), to regulate blood banks, but does not have a comprehensive policy on the issue. The NBTC had formulated a policy to eliminate profiteering by blood banks.
Over the years, the state health department has received several complaints from relatives of patients about harassment by the hospital staff to get blood to replace that given to the patient. Some hospitals do not even discharge a patient until they get the “replacement blood”.
Dr Gustad Davar, medical director at Hinduja Hospital, said: “We do not force relatives of patients to donate blood, but it is expected that they should voluntarily donate. If relatives fail to provide the replacement, we provide the blood. We only ask them to pay processing charges.”
The Tarun Mitra Mandal, an NGO that organises three blood donation camps every year, collected 10,000 units of blood last year. “It is a good thing that the government is making a policy for blood banks. Somebody should regulate blood banks,” said Harish Gogari, president of the mandal.
“Hospitals cannot force relatives for ‘replacement blood’. Also, there is a need to control processing fees. But, the charges levied by private blood banks are decided by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority as the Food and Drugs Administration treat blood as drugs,” said Dr Girish Chaudhary, in-charge director, State Blood Transfusion Council.
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