Relatives of patients who need blood transfusions in hospitals and those who need blood due to accidents have to pay for blood. The relatives of the patients have been paying a fee of up to Rs 1,000 per pint.
The Provincial Blood Transfusion Center at Ramghat in Pokhara has been charging Rs 700 for blood and Rs 1,000 for private patients undergoing treatment at government hospitals. There has been a demand that blood donors should not be charged for voluntary blood donation and that it should be free of cost. The government has made arrangements for the patients to donate blood free of cost.
The state government has decided to provide free blood to all government and private hospitals in the state from Feb 13. Health Minister Madhu Adhikari said that free blood will be provided to the patients as soon as the cabinet meeting on Monday passes the 'Blood and Blood Services Free Management Procedure 2021 prepared by the Ministry of Health and Population.
The government is preparing an agreement with the Nepal Red Cross Society to provide free blood. The government's decision will be implemented after the agreement is reached in a few days. The blood transfusion center operated by the Red Cross has been providing blood to the patients after laboratory tests of blood donated by the general public.
Minister Adhikari said that an agreement will be reached with the state government to pay the service fee collected by the blood transfusion center from the patients. "The government will pay all the money that the blood transfusion procedure is taking from the patients and make it available to the people free of cost." Minister Adhikari said, "All the necessary funds have been provided for that purpose."
Although the ministry is not yet sure how much it will cost to make blood free, it is estimated that it will cost Rs 30 million annually in all the districts of the state. It is said that the government has formulated a procedure to make blood free for the implementation of the health policy. The health policy states that a policy will be adopted to increase access to free basic health care and emergency health care.
It is said that Rs. 26 million is collected annually in the blood transfusion center through service fee. Pokhara, the capital city of Gandaki, has the highest blood consumption. Patients with serious and complex diseases are being treated here as patients come to Pokhara Hospital from district hospitals on recommendation. It is said that 70 to 80 pints of blood is demanded daily in Gandaki.
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