BENGALURU: All government and non-government blood banks, 199 in the state, are supposed to charge for blood components as per the processing rates fixed by the Karnataka State Blood Transfusion Council (KSBTC). Though the council takes into account all tests that need to be performed before transfer of blood components, charges for two essential procedures — leucoreduction and antibody screening — haven’t been fixed by KSBTC.
Human blood has four components — Plasma, Red Blood Cells, White Blood Cells and Platelets. Leucoreduction is the process of removing leucocytes or white blood cells from the blood or blood components supplied for blood transfusion and this blood is called leucoreduced blood.
It is said that white blood cells may themselves harbour pathogens or infections. Hence, in cancer patients, children or those who require repeated blood transfusions, physicians recommend leucoreduced blood.
The final price of a blood component is determined by these safety procedures and tests done on it. The absence of state-mandated price has resulted in variable pricing across hospitals and blood banks in the city, resulting in a huge price hike of the blood component. Other tests generally done on blood components do not cost more than a couple of hundred rupees and red blood cells that are not leucoreduced cost Rs 2,300. However leucoreduced red blood cells cost Rs 3,750.
The private blood banks include those in hospitals, Indian Red Cross Society, voluntary and charitable ones and stand-alone blood banks.With the KSBTC being silent on leucoreduction procedure, hospitals have to fall back on the circular issued by National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) to fix prices. NBTC mandates Rs 1,000 for leuco-filtered whole blood or red blood cells, and Rs 1,500 for leuco-filtered platelets.
Columbia Asia Hospital, Whitefield, charges Rs 1,450 for each — leucoreduction in red blood cells as well as for platelets. Even St John’s Medical College charges Rs 1,500 for both. The hospitals charge more than the NBTC charges in one blood component.
But it is unclear if NBTC charges are binding on them as health is a state subject under the Constitution. Rotary-Bangalore TTK blood bank, arguably the largest blood bank in the state, charges Rs 1,230 for leucoreduction in red cells.
Dr Sitalakshmi S, head of department of transfusion medicine, said, “We don’t recommend leucoreduced blood universally, but only in patients who require it.” However, Columbia Asia provides only leucoreduced blood to all its patients, leaving the patient with no option.
Also, NBTC has fixed antibody screening cost at Rs 300, but Columbia Asia charges Rs 600. The KSBTC is silent on these rates.
Dr Ramesh E, Blood Safety, Deputy director, KSBTC, said, “We will have a meeting soon for fixing charges for both leucoreduction and antibody screening. I agree that the baseline processing charge for red blood cells is Rs 600 according to KSBTC, but Rs 1,450 according to NBTC, more than double the charge. This has to be looked into as both prices have been arrived at scientifically.”
Dr C Shivaram, blood bank in-charge at Manipal Hospital, said, “While NBTC explains how they arrived at their prices KSBTC doesn’t. The state should explain how there is a huge difference between the two. The former seems to be scientifically arrived at, but the latter doesn’t.”