RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Dec.10: A tug of war is on between the state health department and volunteers who organise blood donation camps to provide the same free of cost to the needy as the government formulated a policy taking blood stored at blood banks.
This is reflected every day from 2 pm to 5 pm near Raj Bhawan where the volunteers sit with placards in their hands demanding blood without replacement for the patients admitted at private hospitals, no reimbursement of processing fee for the blood which private hospitals bring for their patients covered under any health scheme including Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) free of cost, reducing blood charge at private blood banks besides others.
Founder president of Life Saver Atul Gera supported the observation, saying the health department under the guidance of Jharkhand Project director of Jharkhand Aids Control Society, Dr. Bhuvnesh Pratap Singh, has formulated such a policy that is not in the interest of poor patients and is an attempt to pave the path for a private hospital to collect money for the voluntarily donated blood stored at government blood banks.
“The Government wants to sell a unit of blood from a state-run blood bank for Rs 1050 to the poor patient undergoing treatment at private hospitals under the health insurance scheme. The decision is worth withdrawing as it will pave the path of selling the blood of government-run blood banks to the poor patient through the private hospital with the help of money from health insurance service providers. Though those covered under the health insurance scheme think they are getting free blood but indirectly private hospitals have been given licence to collect Rs 1050 without any work,” Gera said.
“The Government says that it has taken steps to stop black marketing of blood. If this is so, it should ask private hospitals to strengthen its blood banks to provide blood without replacement, unlike private hospitals’ present practice of compelling attendants of patients to run from pillar to post to bring donors at its blood bank to collect their blood and then replace the collected blood unit by processed one. Apart from this, the government should also do something to reduce the price of blood available for Rs 1450 per unit after replacement,” Gera said.
Project director of Jharkhand Aids Control Society, Dr. Bhuvnesh Pratap Singh, has already said that he sees no justification for the strike.
“Our policy is not going to affect the poor as those undergoing treatment at government hospitals will not be charged for blood from government-run blood banks. Apart from this, poor people admitted to private hospitals but are not covered under any health insurance scheme will be given free blood if private hospitals certify poverty by giving an undertaking. Those already covered under any health insurance scheme need not worry as insurance companies are bearing the expense of their blood,” Singh said.
