…Health Ministry decries this practice
Private hospitals increase their profit margins each time they facilitate the provision of blood, or blood products, to their patients, a practice that is being decried by the Health Ministry.
Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, in an interview, said, “I am appalled that the private hospitals are charging exorbitant sums, up to $20,000, for one unit of blood.”
He made it clear that the Guyanese people donate blood voluntarily and freely, and the private health care providers need to re-think this aspect of their service.
“For all of us this should be a voluntary process…we understand that the private hospitals will want to cover their costs, but blood should not be part of their profit-making activities,” Ramsammy said.
The Health Minister explained that significant sums are spent to collect blood and larger sums are expended to have the blood tested to ensure it is safe for use.
He noted that as much as $200,000 is spent on one blood drive regardless of how many units are collected at that drive, a large cost to bear.
Ramsammy added that the kits used in testing come in a series of 96 tests and most times there is not a collection of 96 units to be tested.
“Once you open the kits, the tests must be used and those that are not are lost,” he said.
In this context, the Health Minister pointed out that each time the private hospitals request blood they are asked to pay $3,000 per unit of blood, a sum which assists the Ministry with the high testing costs.
“We ask the private hospitals for that sum to help us defray part of the testing cost…we do not expect the private hospitals to use the blood and turn that into a profit-making service,” Ramsammy said.
The Health Minister is calling for the private health care providers to re-examine this practice of instituting high charges for blood.
He said, “Persons donate blood to help their fellow brothers and sisters and this spirit should be extended across the board. The blood donors would not be happy with this.”
Ramsammy opined that this practice by the private sector is not encouraging to the donor population, which currently stands between one and 1.5 per cent of Guyana’s adult population.

Need

“We need more donors. A few thousand Guyanese cannot carry the burden of the demand we have for blood. Right now we need between two and 2.5 per cent of the adult population to become blood donors,” he said.
The Health Minister explained that Guyana has done well in meeting its target of averaging a collection of 600 units a month, but he pointed out that this is no longer enough, since the demand has risen.
“We did well when we moved from between 100 and 200 units a month to 600 units of blood a month. This year we have more surgeries happening and the doctors are using the blood and blood products much more,” Ramsammy said.
The Health Minister added that the demand now falls between 800 and 900 units of blood each month.
He noted too that the call is for regular donors to donate at least twice a year, become a multiple donor.
“Our regular donors are satisfied with giving one unit a year. We need them to come between two and three times,” Ramsammy said.
New donors, he said, are encouraged to step on board the ‘Good Samaritan Programme’.
Guyana’s Good Samaritan Programme is the country’s flagship programme designed to encourage all adult Guyanese to become a blood donor. It is a programme that allows each Guyanese to contribute to saving lives.
All voluntary givers are welcomed at all five sites nationwide: the NBTS headquarters in Georgetown, West Demerara Regional, New Amsterdam, Suddie and Linden hospitals.
People cannot give blood if they are pregnant; if they have a chesty cough, sore throat or active cold sore; if they have already given blood in the last 12 weeks; if they are taking antibiotics or have just finished; or if they have HIV, Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C.