Stop charging patients highly on blood you get for free, state tells private hospitals

Private hospitals will start charging patients a standard amount for blood received freely from regional collection centres once the costing reference document comes into effect.

Despite the establishment of the Kenya National Blood Transfusion Service (KNBTS), designed to make blood affordable and available at all times to Kenyans, millions across the country still pay exorbitantly for the increasingly expensive blood needed to save the lives of their loved ones.

The Nation discovered that a blood transfusion at a private hospital costs between Sh20,000 and Sh50,000, yet the hospitals are given the commodity when it is already processed.

Notably, the government fully covers the costs through KNBTS, up to the point of distribution to hospitals. KNBTS Executive Director Nduku Kilonzo Wednesday said Kenyans have complained about the high costs of transfusion in private hospitals, yet the public donates blood at no charge. The service is in the process of developing the costing reference document.

Collecting, processing, and distributing blood and its by-products, including red blood cells, platelets and plasma, have largely been left to the service, she said.

Oversight and compliance

Dr Kilonzo said oversight and compliance of the private hospitals have not been as effective as they should be.

She admitted that private hospitals had additional costs, including human resources and infrastructure, but what they charge for a transfusion or a unit of blood does not reflect the fact that they receive blood at no cost from the government.

“The charges are way [higher than] what should be charged,” Dr Kilonzo said, adding, with the costing reference in place, the public will know what they should pay in all private hospitals. Kenya needs 500,000 units of blood yearly to save lives during emergency medical care.

Nationally, blood collection has increased from 172,041 units in 2020 to 297,000 in 2021.

Blood shortage

Last year, when the country was experiencing a blood shortage, Mr Seth Otieno almost lost his life. He had mobilised donors, but the cost of screening charged by the hospital was too much for him. His haemoglobin was at level three, as opposed to the normal level of 13.

He was having one of the worst sickle cell crises of his life. He needed six pints of blood and went to three private hospitals in Kisumu County, which were charging between Sh8,000 and Sh10,000 to screen a pint of blood. This is before the cost of transfusion.

Well-wishers came to his rescue; they donated blood and collected money for screening.

Charges

Private hospitals are charging between Sh20,000 and Sh30,000 for a pint of blood type AB, O- and O+. However, blood type O-, which is the scarcest, attracts fees of up to Sh50,000.

A doctor working in one of the high-end private hospitals said that, after they receive blood from the regional centres, professional staff costs are added.

“The patients need to pay for the services that are rendered. When being transfused, remember there is the aspect of materials used including the machines, and the medics, who have to be paid,” said the doctor.