Government bans blood banks from selling blood, now only processing fees will be charged

Often you must have heard that a patient needed blood and this blood was purchased from the blood bank. Many times blood banks charge thousands of rupees for a few units of blood. But now it will not be possible to do so. The Drug Controller General of India has removed all charges on blood units. However, blood banks will be able to charge supply and processing charges.

The meeting was held in September last year

DGCI has said this by sending a letter to the drug controller cum licensing officers of all the states and union territories on Thursday. This letter states that this was recommended in relation to agenda number during the Drugs Consultative Committee meeting held in September last year. It was said that blood is not for selling but for giving. And blood banks can only charge processing fees.

Complaints were coming for a long time

DCGI has written to all the states and union territories to ensure compliance with the amendments. Let us tell you that for some time there have been continuous complaints that blood banks are charging money in addition to the processing fee. After this DCGI has taken this step. Let us tell you that when a person donates blood, it is not directly transfused to the patient. Donated blood, called whole blood, is processed in a centrifuge to separate it into transfusable components. It includes red cells, platelets and plasma. This exercise is called blood processing and it costs money.

The government has also fixed the processing fee

To standardize the charges and put a cap on it, the Center issued a guideline in 2022 stating that private blood banks cannot charge more than Rs 1,550 for processing whole blood. Processing charges for packed red cells, fresh frozen plasma and platelet concentrate – all of which are required for transfusion in patients – for private laboratories have been fixed at Rs 1,550, Rs 400, Rs 400 respectively. In government-run blood centres, the cost of processing whole blood and packed red cells has been fixed at Rs 1,100.