Patients impacted as private blood banks charge a bomb

HYDERABAD: As the infrastructure in government blood banks is not up to the mark, patients are being forced to spend large sums of money to get Single Donor Platelets (SDP) from private blood banks. For a common blood group like A+ or B+, private blood banks are charging approximately Rs 20,000 for just one unit.

Sources said that the cost for rare blood groups is going up to Rs 30,000-Rs 40,000 per unit. Whereas, according to guidelines of the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), the cost of single donor platelets (SDP) in private blood banks should not exceed Rs 11,000 per unit.

A few days ago, parents of 7-year-old Shweta (name changed) bought two units of Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP) at the cost of Rs 1,730 each in a private blood bank in Khairatabad here. According to NACO, private blood banks should charge Rs 400 for FFP. The same blood bank charges Rs 19,500 for a single unit of SDP.

“We had been told by the hospital to get the blood from that particular blood bank. Any other blood bank was rejected by them,” said Shweta’s relative. Similarly, the cost of packed red cells is Rs 1,550 for one unit. When Express enquired, a private blood bank in Chikkadpally sought Rs 1,800 per unit of A+ blood group. 

Register complaints

“Citizens can register a complaint against the private blood banks in Drug Control Administration (DCA),” said Dr G Anna Prasanna Kumari, Additional Project Director at Telangana State AIDS Control Society. 

“Blood banks refused to show rate cards even when the NACO guidelines ask them to display it prominently,” said a source.“We inspect private blood banks and ensure that they display the rates. We cannot take action unless there is evidence showing that they don’t,” Dr Kumari added.