Materia Medica Malaysiana

Private Hospitals May Pay More For Blood

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 29 (Bernama) -- Private hospitals may have to pay more than the current RM20 for a pack of blood bought from government hospitals.
Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said the price of blood sold to private hospitals would be revised as the government currently bore the handling cost of RM80 for a pack of blood, which includes screening it for infectious diseases like syphilis, hepatitis and HIV/AIDS, labelling it and storing it.
The government was suffering losses by selling blood at RM20 a pack to private hospitals, he told reporters today after launching the HIV/AIDS HV-7 screening kit created by local researchers with the research cost bourne by the TH Koid Foundation.
Dr Chua said the government would review the Fees (Medical) Order 1982 which sets the price of blood sold by government hospitals to private ones at RM20 a pack.
Besides that, the ministry's Parliamentary Secretary Lee Kah Choon would also discuss with private hospitals their practice of re-selling a pack of blood which they bought at RM20 for RM200, he said.
"They should not be profiting from the blood. We understand the cost to be borne for testing and storage but to increase the price manifold is just unreasonable," he said.
Dr Chua reminded private hospitals that their actions might discourage the public from donating blood.
He suggested that private hospitals create their own resources to get blood supply to meet their patients' needs instead of depending on government hospitals and the National Blood Centre.
"Every year in the Klang Valley, 40,000 units of blood (from government hospitals and the National Blood Centre) are given to private hospitals.
"Although there are no legal provisions to prevent the private sector from over-charging, they should have been more considerate," he said.