BENGALURU: Transfusion of blood will be a costlier affair in private hospitals henceforth. Taking into account inflation in prices of consumables, the Karnataka State Blood Transfusion Council has revised the rates of blood and blood components in non-government hospitals. The rates were last fixed in June 2015.
A unit of whole blood which previously cost `700 will now cost `950. Packed blood cells which cost `600 will now cost `850. Patients in private hospitals will have to bear the additional cost. However, non-government charitable blood banks like Red Cross are still supplying blood at old rates though the government order on raising the rates was passed on April 26.
Srinivasa Gowda, Additional Project Director, Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society, said, “Many newer tests are being conducted these days. We have revised the rates on request from non-government hospitals. Of the 199 blood banks in the state, only 66 are supported by National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) subsidies. The rest have to meet the expenses of consumables on their own. After meetings with at least 20 stakeholders, we worked out the prices taking into account even the syringe that is used to draw blood.”
Dr V Nandakishore, Blood Bank Officer, M S Ramaiah Hospital, said, “NACO-supported blood banks get blood bags, anti-sera (used for grouping in blood) and testing kits. We have to pay rent, electricity and salaries. It was difficult to break even, that is why hospitals like Manipal and TTK Blood Bank wrote to the government asking for a revision of prices.”
“The 31 blood banks in district and teaching hospitals have their samples tested free of cost. Rotary TTK, one of the largest blood banks in the city, has 10 per cent of its samples tested free of cost. After that, they are charged `501 per test,” Gowda said.
He said that only five tests are mandatory for blood samples. “We do HIV test, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B, Malaria test and ID NAT mandatorily. Tests like leuko-reduction have recently been introduced.”
There were no charges stipulated for tests like anti-body screening which has now been fixed at `200. The costliest among the 22 tests mentioned in the order costs `11,000 (Platelet Apheresis).