Private hospitals spell out 'blood money' costs
by S.Selvakumar
"It is a blatant lie to say that we get blood free of charge from the
National Blood Transfusion Service at Narahenpita and charge
exorbitantly from patients", Prof. Lal Chandrasena of the Nawaloka
Hospital reacted when the Sunday Observer contacted him to get more
clarifications on last Sunday's front page news item "Private hospitals
extract blood money from patients".
Prof. Chandrasena, Head of Laboratories at the Nawaloka Hospital said
there are 23 components of blood ranging from Rs 1500 upwards per unit,
the costliest being Platelets (apheresis) that costs Rs 20,000 per unit.
If any patient, a kith or kin, who foots the bill feels the hospital
concerned has charged exorbitantly he/she could complain to the Private
Health Sector Regulatory Council that functions under the Ministry of
Health, Prof. Chandrasena said.
Aruna Jayakody, Marketing Manager Lanka Hospitals said in the first
instance blood obtained from the Narahenpita Blood Bank has to be
prepared before infusing it to patients and involves processing in
laboratories which costs money." It is wrong to say that we obtain blood
at Rs 1000 and charge patients Rs 20,000 to 30,000. Even after
processing it wouldn't cost so much. I just cannot understand why these
charges are levelled against private hospitals" he said.
Dr. Manjula Karunaratne, Chief Operating Officer of the Asiri Group
of Hospitals while refuting the charges that private hospitals fleece
patients, especially in blood transfusions, promised to send a
clarification when contacted by the Sunday Observer just before noon on
Thursday. He did fax a clarification within twenty minutes through the
Private Hospitals' Association which stated that the wrong information
published in the media could be clarified.
The clarification stated the rates per unit supplied to private
hospitals by the National Blood Transfusion Service. Accordingly, one
pint of red cells/cross matched is bought at Rs 1500, one pint frozen
plasma at Rs 1000, HLA typing (class II) Rs 7500, cryoprecipitate Rs
3000 and platelets (apheresis) Rs 20,000.
Private Hospitals submit a written request with a sample of the blood
to the Blood Bank and after processing the request the Bank specifies a
time for collection after which the hospital dispatches an ambulance,
sometimes several kilometres away to collect the blood, under stipulated
conditions.
The whole process entails documentation, administrative, transport
and other overhead costs to the hospital. Hence, a unit of blood
obtained at Rs 1500 will be charged to the patient with these reasonable
overhead costs but will not add up to Rs 5,000/- Rs 10,000/- Rs 20,000/-
or Rs 30,000/-
The clarification said private hospitals provide a quality healthcare
service to the public at a reasonable and affordable cost, while
maintaining the viability of the enterprise.
The Private Hospitals' Association said any public complaints or
related issues should be directed to the Secretary of the Private Health
Sector Regulatory Council under the purview of the Ministry of Health or
to the respective Provincial Directors of Health Services.
What is a blood transfusion?
A blood transfusion is a safe, common procedure in which you receive
blood through an intravenous (IV) line inserted into one of your blood
vessels.
Blood transfusions are used to replace blood lost during surgery or a
serious injury. A transfusion also might be done if your body can't make
blood properly because of an illness.
During a blood transfusion, a small needle is used to insert an IV
line into one of your blood vessels. Through this line, you receive
healthy blood. The procedure usually takes 1 to 4 hours, depending on
how much blood you need.
Blood transfusions are very common. Most blood transfusions go well.
Mild complications could occur. Very rarely, serious problems develop.
Important information about blood
The heart pumps blood through a network of arteries and veins in the
body. Blood has many vital jobs, for example, it carries oxygen and
other nutrients to your body's organs and tissues.
Blood is made up of various parts, including red blood cells, white
blood cells, platelets (PLATE-lets), and plasma. Blood is transfused
either as whole blood (with all its parts) or, more often, as individual
parts.
Blood types
Every person has one of the following blood types: A, B, AB, or O.
Also, every person's blood is either Rh-positive or Rh-negative. If you
have type A blood, it's either A positive or A negative.
The blood used in a transfusion must work with your blood type. If it
doesn't, antibodies (proteins) in your blood attack the new blood and
make you sick.
Type O blood is safe for almost everyone. People who have this blood
type are called universal donors. Type O blood is used for emergencies
when there's no time to test a person's blood type.
People who have type AB blood are called universal recipients. This
means they can get any type of blood.
If you have Rh-positive blood, you can get Rh-positive or Rh-negative
blood. But if you have Rh-negative blood, you should only get
Rh-negative blood. Rh-negative blood is used for emergencies when
there's no time to test a person's Rh type.
Blood banks
Blood banks collect, test, and store blood. They carefully screen all
donated blood for infectious agents (such as viruses) or other factors
that could make you sick. Blood banks also screen each blood donation to
find out whether it's type A, B, AB, or O and whether it's Rh-positive
or Rh-negative. |