Lab charges on blood transfusion should be fixed

Private hospitals have raised the charges of blood units and components to the patients, who are in need of blood transfusion. This was made following complaints put forward by the affected patients, and received by the ministry.

Though Dh400 was fixed as the charge for one blood unit, the ministry has given private hospitals a free hand to add the charge of lab diagnoses and tests to find out the consonance between the patient’s blood and the blood unit.

The other problem is that there are some private hospitals, who exaggerate in assessing the charges of lab tests. Due to such assessment, the value of the bill payable by the patient will increase in the end.

Therefore, is it possible for the Ministry to fix the charges of the lab tests regarding the blood units and circulate the same to everybody?

The need for blood during surgeries is a matter of life and death. So long as the Ministry of Health rejects the sale of blood units by private hospitals on the basis of profit, it would be better if it (the ministry) introduces fixed charges for lab tests or fixes a ceiling, which cannot be transcended in the interest of everybody.