Private hospitals in Lucknow are running the business of blood in connivance with blood bank operators. Huge amounts are being collected in the name of providing blood to patients without a donor. One such case came to the fore on Wednesday. In this, blood is being sold at a price more than four times the fixed rate. The Health Department and the Food and Drug Administration (FSDA) have started an investigation on the complaint of the caretakers.
Karan (21) was admitted to a private hospital in old Lucknow and was undergoing treatment. The youth was injured in a road accident. The patient was admitted to the emergency. The patient was admitted on oxygen support. After four days, when the patient was discharged, a bill of about four lakh rupees was handed over.
When the relatives asked for the details of the treatment, they were stunned to see the cost of blood more than four times. The price of one unit of blood in private blood banks is fixed at Rs 1450. While the patient was charged Rs 24,000 for four units of blood. Timardars say that without donor blood has been made available. The family members of the victim have complained about the matter to the CMO. FSDA has started probing the extortion of blood.
Running business from footpath shops
Illegal business of blood is going on in the capital. The touts are running the business of blood from tea-paan shops decorated on the footpath outside KGMU Trauma Center. They promise to provide blood without donor to the far flung Timardars. Giving them blood at an expensive cost. Every month five to six patients are coming to the blood bank of KGMU, whose patients are advised by doctors to donate blood. But, they don’t donate blood. When blood is not available without a donor, they do not turn back later. Such miscreants contact touts outside trauma and procure blood without donor at an expensive rate.
Most of the illegal business of blood is going on in the open blood banks in the new areas of the city. Illegal bloodshed is also going on around Chowk, Thakurganj, Wazirganj. The brokers of blood bank and private hospital trap the Timardars coming from far away in the trauma center.
Seeing the pink paper, they start looking back
In KGMU, the doctor writes the patient’s need for blood on a pink slip. The touts trap the touts by seeing the slip in their hands. They give the pretext of providing blood without a donor.
Blood of negative group in eight thousand
The brokers charge different prices for blood. For example, the donors who give blood are provided for three to four thousand rupees. Donors who don’t give. They get a blood for five to six thousand rupees. They are charging Rs 7 to 8 thousand for the blood of negative group. This is the cost of non-donor blood.
Deputy CMO Dr. AP Singh said that a complaint has been received about extra money being taken in the private hospital. It is being investigated. Strict action will be taken against the hospitals playing with the health of the patients and charging more fees.