Haryana Health department on Thursday directed the private blood banks to provide blood and blood components free of cost to all Thalassaemia, Haemophilia, Sickle Cell Anemia and other blood dyscrasia patients requiring regular blood transfusion.
Haryana Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Navraj Sandhu has issued directions in this regard. Sandhu who was presiding over a meeting with the representatives of private blood banks here on Thursday to rationalise the processing charges said that the Government of India has revised processing charges for blood and blood components for private and Government sector blood banks.
She said that in view of increased demand of platelets for dengue patients, these blood banks should provide platelets at the rate of Rs11,000 per unit for apheresis and unit of Random Donor Plasma (RDP) at the rate of Rs400 per unit to dengue patients during the dengue season. She made it clear that the Health department would reimburse the cost of platelets for dengue patients of BPl category admitted in government hospitals where there is no component facility.
The Additional Chief Secretary said that Haryana Health Department has already established blood component separation units at Medical College Rohtak, Government Hospital at Karnal, Faridabad and Yamunanagar. Platelets Apheresis machines have also been procured for government hospital, Gurgaon and Panchkula which would be operational soon, she added.
She directed all civil surgeon where there is no government blood component separation units to coordinate with the private sector blood banks to ensure this arrangement on the ground. She said, however, donor for the apheresis would have to be provided by the patients. Sandhu requested all the private blood banks to display the processing charges of blood and blood components in the blood banks. She also assured private blood banks for helping them to conduct indoor voluntary blood donation camps within the premises of the blood bank in coordination with Red Cross.