‘Blood money’....???
Monday August 9, 2010
Red Crescent in protest over ‘blood money’
JOHOR BARU: Red Crescent Malaysia’s Johor Baru Chapter will stop organising blood donation campaigns in protest against a new management policy adopted by the Sultanah Aminah Hospital.
Its chairman Chong Ah Ng claimed that under the new policy, private hospitals that needed blood had to purchase it from the hospital.
“In the past 20 years, we would usually hand over the blood that we collected from our campaigns to the hospital, which would then distribute them to other hospitals for free.
“But now, all the packets of donated blood are stored at the hospital and other hospitals have to pay for this,” he told reporters after its last blood donation campaign in Sutera Mall here yesterday.
Chong said the new policy had led to private hospitals charging patients between RM200 and RM300 for a pint of blood.
“We have brought the matter up with the management at Sultanah Aminah but the person in charge refused to attend to our calls or appointments,” he claimed.
“We hoped the matter will be resolved as soon as possible as it is unfair to those who are in dire need of blood,” said Chong, adding that it had sought the assistance of Gelang Patah MP Tan Ah Eng to bring the matter up with the Health Ministry.
However, state Health Department director Dr Mohd Khairi Yaakub refuted such claims, adding that the hospital did not “sell” the donated blood.
“The hospital only charges a fee to cover the costs of laboratory work and blood screening.
“For example, according to a fixed schedule, the hospital will charge about RM30 for a pint of blood,” he said, adding that the policy had been in place for a few years.
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They need to justify the charges instead they play the blaming game. Forgetting people who need help....
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